I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

After the Ghost Lord was executed, the turmoil in the market gradually subsided.

As the elders of the Chamber of Commerce and the wandering cultivators departed on their flying boats, and batches of visiting cultivators returned home, the market seemed to have returned to its former peaceful state.

However, compared to before, when the name "Master Xu" is mentioned now, many cultivators can't help but show more awe in their tone.

After all, the scene that night was truly astonishing.

The second-tier, mid-grade Mountain-Swallowing Flame Talisman almost turned half the night sky red.

Even so, the great formation of Red Maple Valley still managed to hold on.

In the end, he not only severely injured the Foundation Establishment evil cultivator, but also commanded many Foundation Establishment cultivators with a single word, and almost half of the people in the entire market were mobilized to help him hunt down the enemy.

Such methods are truly unheard of.

"I heard that the evil cultivator escaped hundreds of miles, but ultimately died?"

"Is Master Xu's Wood-based supernatural power truly that powerful?"

"Who knows? But I did hear from the Luo family that when that evil cultivator died, tree roots were practically growing from his body."

Inside a restaurant in the market area.

Several Qi Refining cultivators whispered among themselves, their expressions filled with emotion.

"Even if the Luo family patriarch himself spoke up, he might not be able to persuade so many Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"A renowned alchemist who is also an array master certainly has that ability."

One of the young cultivators couldn't help but sigh, "I've always heard people say that although the senior in Red Maple Valley is aloof, he is quite gentle."

I never imagined that when they really get serious, they could be so formidable.

An older cultivator standing nearby immediately snorted coldly.

"What do you know?"

In the world of cultivation, those who are unassuming and low-key are the ones you should never provoke.

That Master Xu, who achieved Foundation Establishment at the age of eighty and is renowned for his mastery of both alchemy and alchemy formations, is certainly not someone to be trifled with.

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, and his voice lowered considerably.

"Stay away from Red Maple Valley from now on, and stop trying to curry favor with that person in the valley."

Some people have good tempers, but if you really provoke them, no one can protect you.

Upon hearing this, several young cultivators nodded in agreement.

Similar discussions can be seen everywhere in the market, and are not unusual.

Even the array masters who were once on good terms with Xu Zhou are now much more reserved when visiting Red Maple Valley. They dare not visit unless Xu Zhou invites them directly.

Even the major families in the market have become subtly more serious about their attitude towards Red Maple Valley.

Of course, these changes will not affect Red Maple Valley.

After the great battle, the valley was completely sealed off.

The last time he was visited was when Elder Lu came to apologize before leaving.

Many people have already guessed the origin of the Ghost Gentleman, most likely that he came with merchant ships.

However, no one would bring such a thing up in public.

Before leaving, Elder Lu personally visited Red Maple Valley, bringing a considerable amount of spirit stones and materials, and expressing his apologies in his words.

Xu Zhou did not refuse.

He already had some vague suspicions about the attack by the Ghost Gentleman.

The chamber of commerce was mostly innocent victims, and regardless of whether they apologized or not, they would not hold a grudge.

However, Elder Lu's courteous treatment still earned him his favor.

The Qianmai Chamber of Commerce has managed to exist across multiple countries for so many years, which means it must have its own methods.

After that, apart from Wang Mo occasionally sending medicinal herbs, collecting some pills he refined, and some familiar Foundation Establishment cultivators coming to visit, Red Maple Valley was mostly quiet.

The sacred trees that were burned in the valley are being replanted little by little.

Large swathes of newly sprouted spiritual trees burst forth with tender buds, reconnecting with the great array in the valley to form new array patterns.

The once scorched and ruined valley gradually regained some of its vitality.

...

After the dust settled, Xu Zhou finally had time to slowly deal with the storage bag left behind by Gui Junzi.

This item was handed over by Luo Lingxiao, and Xu Zhou found it hard to believe that they hadn't taken a look at it.

Therefore, he didn't have high expectations for anything there.

The moment the storage bag was opened, a chilling aura rushed out.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Zhou couldn't help but frown slightly.

There are too many things, and they are too varied.

A large amount of eerie spiritual materials were piled up in the corner, all exuding a sinister and bloody aura, clearly not belonging to the righteous path.

In addition, there are many other ritual implements.

Several of the items still bore traces of blood that had not been completely washed away, and it was unknown which unfortunate cultivator they had belonged to.

Xu Zhou frowned slightly and set these items aside. He could pack them all up and sell them to the Qianmai Chamber of Commerce later if the opportunity arose.

After searching for a while, he suddenly stopped.

In the corner of the storage bag, seventy or eighty mid-grade spirit stones were neatly arranged.

In addition, there were a large number of scattered low-grade spirit stones, which, when added together, amounted to a rather terrifying number.

Xu Zhou let out a soft breath.

"No wonder he dared to take on this kind of business."

Such wealth far surpasses that of an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. The Ghostly Gentleman already had a notorious reputation in Liang, and the evil deeds he had committed in private were far more numerous than just this one. It's not surprising that he could accumulate such wealth.

It's just unknown how many people hired someone to deal with him.

In addition, Xu Zhou also discovered some Yin Soul Sect scriptures.

However, most of these classic texts are techniques for raising corpses and refining bones, or some sinister and evil cultivation methods, which are completely different from the relatively neutral cultivation method of "Dream Devouring Heart Sutra".

Xu Zhou glanced through it briefly, then frowned, shook his head, and put it down.

Upon further inspection, all that remained were miscellaneous items such as pills and talismans.

Although he didn't find any rare treasures, Xu Zhou was basically satisfied.

Putting everything else aside, the large number of spirit stones in his bag was a considerable gain, enough to make up for his expenses at the auction.

The only regret is that no direct evidence pointing to the person behind the scenes was found.

But Xu Zhou didn't care at all.

He already had a hunch about who was behind it all. Whether there was evidence or not was no longer so important.

The mountains are high and the roads are long, but this debt will be settled one day.

...

With the support of spirit stones in the storage bag, Xu Zhou does not need to worry about financial issues in rebuilding Red Maple Valley.

At the same time, he began a true period of seclusion.

He hardly ever goes out anymore, as if he has returned to the days when he first came to the market.

His original plan was to gradually advance his study of "Miscellaneous Elixir Chapters" and, incidentally, study the details of medicinal materials recorded in "Taiyi Acupuncture Classic".

The art of alchemy has been temporarily set aside.

After the battle with the Ghostly Gentleman, he finally understood that no matter how good one's alchemy skills were, they could only assist in cultivation. But when faced with a powerful enemy, what truly determined life and death was the means of protecting one's path.

His strongest protective method now is the Dao of Array Formation.

Once he reaches the second level of array formation, he might not be without the ability to deal with even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He took out the array jade slip that had been sealed away before.

Although his array formation techniques had significant flaws, he had learned a great deal from the array masters in the market these past few days, which helped him revise many of his previously narrow-minded ideas.

If I immerse myself in this path for a few more years, I should be able to successfully advance my array formation to the second tier.

...

After Red Maple Valley was closed again, time seemed to fly by even faster.

The sacred trees in the valley sprouted new branches and buds, and the rocks burned by the flames were gradually covered with moss again.

Occasionally, new news would also emerge from the market.

Some people became apprentices to learn skills.

Some people started selling rare and spiritual items in the market.

News also came that cultivators from nearby families had successfully established their foundations.

However, most of these things are no longer relevant to Xu Zhou.

Most of the time, he sat cross-legged in the wooden house, flipping through the jade slips of array principles and deducing the changes in array patterns.

Sometimes, I would sit there for months at a time.

In front of the wooden house, the Star-Picking Spirit Tree remains as warm and inviting as ever.

When the Ghost Lord arrived, Xu Zhou severed the connection between the great formation and many spirit trees that had not yet grown, thus saving him from disaster.

Behind the wooden house, the towering tree that Xu Zhou used as the core of the formation stands there.

With Xu Zhou's dual approach of medical treatment and the cultivation of spiritual plants, the losses of the Tongtian Wood have been largely recovered.

After that, Xu Zhou watered it with Wood Essence Liquid every day. With years of consistent care, the spirit tree regained its vitality and even grew taller.

The spiritual patterns on it flowed, and from a distance, it already had the appearance of a second-tier spiritual wood.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

Over the years, Xu Zhou has rarely seen anyone.

The only person who would come to his door on his own initiative was Wang Mo, who would occasionally bring him medicinal herbs.

Besides that, Xu Zhou would occasionally invite a few market array masters to his door, but the conversation was limited to array techniques, and he wouldn't say much else.

Their contact with the outside world mostly came from the occasional letters that were delivered.

The vast majority of the letters came from within the Golden Flame Sect.

During holidays and festivals, Li Pojing would send letters to inquire about the situation of the Li family and inform them of matters related to Xu Zhou within the sect.

For example, the Li family has had two grandchildren, who have now also begun practicing cultivation.

Or perhaps it was because Zhang, the steward of Baicaotang, had passed away, and the Li family had attended the funeral on Xu Zhou's behalf, so he didn't need to worry.

Ouyang Ming was his master, so Xu Zhou didn't need to worry about the safety of the Li family. These letters were just the Li family's way of showing respect to Xu Zhou, their elder.

Li Pochen does send letters, but not very often.

Long before Xu Zhou consolidated his cultivation after establishing his foundation, this kid began to yearn for the outside world and went to the Yan Kingdom for training.

He had not returned for many years, only occasionally sending letters to confirm that he was doing well.

The rest of the letters were almost all sent by Song Rou.

Xu Zhou learned from the letter that Song Rou, like him, had also obtained a copy of the inheritance study from Senior Brother Gu.

Her lineage seems to be closely related to the southern mountains, and going out to gain experience is a frequent occurrence.

In her letter, Song Rou shared many interesting stories about the Desolate Ancient Mountains, including various kinds of dangerous monsters and strange medicinal herbs that she had never known before.

Xu Zhou was quite curious, and sometimes wished he could go and explore it himself.

Among the many letters, there was one from Gu Huayin.

They briefly greeted him, asking how he was doing in Hongyefang Market and whether his life and safety were adequately guaranteed.

Finally, as if speaking casually, he said that it was understandable for him to study formation techniques for self-defense, but he should not forget the great cause of alchemy.

Although the tone was calm, the rest of the letter was rather superficial, making the last sentence seem somewhat off.

Xu Zhou's eyelids twitched slightly while reading.

Fortunately, during his seclusion, he still managed to write down his insights and reflections on "Miscellaneous Essentials and Elixir". Having achieved some success, Senior Brother Gu didn't ask him any further questions.

But if his level of expertise declines in the next five years, Senior Brother Gu probably won't be as easy to talk to as he is now.

Xu Zhou sighed softly.

Fortunately, his seclusion is about to end.

This day.

Inside the wooden house, Xu Zhou gazed at the last array pattern slowly closing before him and let out a long breath.

The conflict of spiritual runes that had troubled him for years was finally resolved by him.

Suddenly, many of the array-related problems that had troubled him were finally solved.

Xu Zhou closed his eyes for a long time, pondering the question in his mind, and experiencing this moment of sudden enlightenment.

After a while.

He raised his hand and pointed.

Outside the wooden house, the entire Red Maple Valley suddenly trembled slightly.

Countless spirit trees lit up at the same time.

Large array patterns emerged from the spirit trees in the valley, intertwined with each other, seemingly forming a unified whole, naturally dynamic.

The array patterns no longer show any traces of human intervention, and when they operate, they become more harmonious and natural, as if they were formed naturally.

At this moment, Xu Zhou truly stepped into the ranks of second-tier array masters.