I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

For Xu Zhou right now, the most urgent thing is to find a suitable lineage of alchemy.

He has already mastered the basics of alchemy. If he wants to make progress in the lineage of alchemy, he needs to learn various different alchemical formulas and alchemy techniques, which is the so-called alchemical lineage.

Baicaotang has this kind of inheritance, but to obtain it, you need to apply to the steward.

Xu Zhou originally wanted to trouble Senior Brother Ke again, but when he went to visit him, he learned that Ke Yanfeng had recently gone out.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Ke Yanfeng needed a rare medicinal herb for alchemy, but the sect did not possess it, so he had to search for it outside and would likely not be able to return for several months.

Xu Zhou was surprised, but he couldn't help but feel happy for Ke Yanfeng.

The Hundred Herbs Hall has a large number of medicinal herbs stored in it, but Ke Yanfeng could not find the herbs he needed. The pills made from them must be very precious and should be classified as high-grade pills.

If all goes well, we should hear news of their advancement to a high-grade alchemist within a few years.

Since Ke Yanfeng wasn't there, Xu Zhou didn't plan to wait for him.

After thinking for a moment, he went to ask the other deacons.

When he first joined the hall, he was favored by a steward surnamed Zhang. Although more than ten years have passed, the other party is still a steward in Baicaotang, so he can pay him a visit.

When I saw Deacon Zhang again, his appearance was the same, except that his temples were slightly gray.

Upon seeing Xu Zhou, the other person was taken aback, then after a moment remembered who he was: "It's you? It's been years! How have you been?"

Xu Zhou bowed in greeting and smiled upon hearing this, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Steward. I have been diligently studying my cultivation technique in seclusion these past few years, striving to fully master my main cultivation method. I have only recently made some progress and am now officially emerging from seclusion."

"That's wonderful," Deacon Zhang nodded. "You've finally realized the importance of cultivation. It's not too late for you to have this realization. I just wonder how well you've chosen your cultivation method and whether it can make up for your previous shortcomings."

Xu Zhou said, "It's the [Longevity Technique]."

Deacon Zhang had only mentioned it casually, but he didn't expect Xu Zhou to so readily reveal his cultivation technique. He immediately chuckled and said, "You're too honest. What cultivator would casually tell others about their main cultivation technique?"

He couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder, I noticed your appearance hasn't changed much. It turns out you're cultivating the Longevity Technique. That's not a bad choice."

Xu Zhou chatted with him for a few moments before explaining why he had come: "Steward Zhang, I would like to borrow the alchemy transmission materials of this hall. Could you please help me apply for them?"

"The lineage of alchemy?"

Deacon Zhang's expression changed, and he gave a wry smile: "I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to help you with your application."

Xu Zhou frowned slightly: "What do you mean by that?"

That's right.

Deacon Zhang sighed and said, "Don't you know how precious the alchemy traditions collected in the hall are?"

The Hundred Herbs Hall does possess a vast collection of alchemical lineages, but each of these lineages is priceless, extremely rare and difficult to obtain in the outside world. How could you possibly obtain them simply by applying?

Xu Zhou remained silent.

His application was thwarted before it was even submitted, which was contrary to his expectations.

Deacon Zhang saw through his thoughts and said, "You must have heard that Miss Song Rou was able to borrow the Daoist alchemy inheritance a few years ago, so you want to give it a try, right?"

But Song Rou is different from you. Although she's still a low-grade alchemist, she has exceptional talent and has even successfully refined a mid-grade pill once. Furthermore, someone recognized her talent and pleaded on her behalf, which is why she was able to apply for the position.

Deacon Zhang shook his head: "Given your situation, there's absolutely no chance this application will be approved."

Xu Zhou hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How can I borrow the inheritance from the hall?"

After a moment's consideration, Deacon Zhang said, "Unless you become a mid-grade alchemist, or have a Foundation Establishment elder as your backer, you don't even qualify to apply for the alchemy inheritance."

"I see, thank you for informing me, Deacon."

Xu Zhou felt regretful, chatted for a few more minutes, and then got up to say goodbye.

The information Deacon Zhang provided disrupted his previous plans.

Unexpectedly, Baicaotang values ​​these alchemy traditions so much that even as an alchemist in the hall, I am not allowed to look through them.

While it makes sense when you think about it—all major powers in the world would tightly control their core inheritance and certainly wouldn't pass it down casually—Xu Zhou couldn't help but feel disheartened at the thought that after seventeen years of training, he still wasn't qualified to borrow it.

As for the suggestion given by Deacon Zhang, he thought about it and realized there was nothing he could do for the time being.

His alchemy skills are limited by his cultivation level; becoming a mid-grade alchemist is still a long way off, and he simply cannot improve in the short term.

As for the connections of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, if he had those things, why would he need to painstakingly accumulate seniority at the Hundred Herbs Hall?

either way

Instead of clinging to the tradition of Daoist alchemy, it would be better to broaden one's horizons.

He doesn't necessarily have to learn alchemy. As long as it can temporarily slow down the loss of lifespan, he's willing to take a look at any cultivation techniques, secret arts, or other immortal cultivation methods.

After leaving Baicaotang, Xu Zhou arrived at the Sutra Repository.

The last time he came here was more than ten years ago. After such a long absence, the place was not much different from before, except that the senior brother on duty had changed.

As he walked among the rows of bookshelves in the pavilion, his eyes darted around, searching for a book that suited him.

He had already focused on cultivating the Longevity Technique, so he didn't have much need for other cultivation methods. His cultivation level was too low for combat, so he didn't use any spells. He was more curious about other cultivation arts and techniques.

However, after searching, the results were somewhat disappointing.

"Whether it's alchemy or other skills, you can only find the most basic texts in the Scripture Pavilion."

"Regarding alchemy, there isn't even a basic medical text like the 'Spiritual Herbs Classic.' It seems the other techniques are similar; the most core traditions must be passed down within the various departments."

"Ordinary disciples who want to learn skills can only join these halls or departments; otherwise, they can at most learn the basics in the Sutra Repository."

"The sect's control over knowledge is stricter than I imagined."

Realizing this, Xu Zhou stood still for a long time.

After a long while, he put the "Basic Refining of Weapons" back on the bookshelf, and also gave up the search for technical classics.

Even if he was only looking for new sources of knowledge to prolong his life, he didn't want to spend time investing in skills that had no future.

He didn't even turn around to look at the cultivation techniques and secret manuals. Since the Scripture Pavilion was so strict in controlling the techniques, and cultivation techniques were the foundation of the sect, truly profound cultivation techniques would never be kept here.

Thinking about it carefully, most of the cultivation techniques he had found in the Scripture Pavilion before were rather rudimentary. The [Longevity Technique] he cultivated was a rare, profound technique, but its flaws were too great and its advantages were not obvious, which was why it was placed here.

Xu Zhou sighed inwardly, feeling that it was probably hopeless to find anything good in the library.

Since that's the case, why not pay attention to some miscellaneous subjects?

He wandered among the bookshelves, picking out one book after another about the experiences of cultivators. He selected "Common Knowledge of Cultivation Arts," "A Brief History of Secrets in the Cultivation World," and "A Brief History of the Golden Flame Sect," intending to read them at a later date.

To his shame, he had been a disciple for nearly eighteen years, yet his understanding of the cultivation world and sects remained superficial. This was a good opportunity to make up for his shortcomings.

After selecting the books, Xu Zhou went to his senior brother to exchange them and remove the restrictions on the books.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of the cultivator on the other side of the bookshelf out of the corner of his eye. He took a closer look and was taken aback.

How could it be him?

"Senior Brother Li, it's been a long time."

Li Zelei, who was opposite him, was startled when he suddenly heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw that it was Xu Zhou, and couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Oh, it's Senior Brother Xu. I didn't expect to run into you here."

The atmosphere between the two was a bit strange. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with their relationship, but Li Zelei's condition was really bad, making it difficult for Xu Zhou to smile.

At this moment, half of Li Zelei's body was wrapped in bandages, with dark red blood seeping out from under the bandages. Even his breathing was slightly unsteady, indicating that he was seriously injured.

Even without seeing the injuries, the way the bandages were bandaged was already quite shocking.

"What happened, Senior Brother? How did you get so badly injured?"

Xu Zhou frowned and asked, looking at the other person's appearance.

If he remembered correctly, Li Zelei had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining half a year ago and was now quite well-known within the sect. Although frequent outings were very risky, at this level of cultivation, the dangers he might encounter were few and far between. How could he have suddenly been injured so severely?

Li Zelei gave a wry smile: "This is a long story. Let's find a quiet place to talk about it slowly."

The two borrowed a quiet room in the library.

After sitting down, Li Zelei sighed and said with a smile, "Junior brother, please forgive me. I've been seriously injured these past few days and haven't had time to visit. I wonder how you've been doing lately?"

"Senior brother, what are you saying? Resting is the most important thing."

Xu Zhou looked at Li Zelei's bandages and asked, "When were you injured?"

Li Zelei remained silent for a long time before answering, "Three months ago."

"How could it be so serious?"

Xu Zhou's heart sank. Three months, which meant that Li Zelei's injuries had not yet healed after three months.

This is somewhat abnormal. Considering the recovery ability of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, even a life-threatening serious injury should allow them to fully recover in one or two months at most once they are out of the brink of death.

Li Zelei's injury has dragged on for a full three months, and it is probably a serious injury that could damage his very foundation.

Li Zelei sighed and said with a wry smile, "When it comes to fighting, I'm no match for them."

Xu Zhou frowned: "Who is it?"

"They're not from any sect," Li Zelei said in a deep voice, "the Hu family from Thousand Swords Peak."