I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Several days later, Xu Zhou successfully completed his cultivation.

During the final cycle of his spiritual energy circulation, the scattered spiritual energy was finally bound and flowed into his dantian along his meridians, like a thread twisted into a strand, completely condensing into his first strand of magical power.

Xu Zhou exhaled slowly, and when he opened his eyes, he felt that his senses were clearer.

He immediately reached out and released the magic power he had just condensed.

His magical power was condensed and undispersed, pure white like gauze. As his thoughts fluctuated, his energy flowed continuously like silk threads, and he could control it with ease and effortlessness, as if it were his own arm or finger.

In contrast, the magical power cultivated by others appears scattered and not pure enough.

"Besides having better quality magic power, it also allows for greater absorption of spiritual energy from heaven and earth during cultivation, resulting in faster progress."

"Indeed, spending more time pondering was the right thing to do!"

Xu Zhou admired the magical power in his hand and revealed a satisfied expression.

The next moment, with his will, his magical power gradually became loose, but its internal structure remained condensed.

This is an act of concealing one's shortcomings.

Most other people wouldn't be able to conceal their magical power as easily as he could. But Xu Zhou's mastery of the "Nurturing Essence Technique" surpasses that of almost all newly initiated outer disciples, making it effortless for him to hide his true level.

Unless one is particularly familiar with the "Neiyuan Gongfa" and has a higher level of mastery than his predecessor, it is difficult to see the difference.

After withdrawing his magic power, Xu Zhou tidied up and went out, heading towards the inside of the gate.

Now that I've finally entered the realm of cultivation and have mastered the "Nourishing Vitality Technique," it's time to start thinking about the next step.

He planned to first visit the Scripture Pavilion and the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to find a suitable cultivation technique for himself, and then inquire about the price of cultivation pills, as well as the content and rewards of the tasks he could take on.

After asking around, Xu Zhou finally found the Sutra Repository. Upon seeing the enormous, palace-like building before him, he couldn't help but marvel.

"This place truly exudes an otherworldly grandeur, far surpassing those few huts in the outer courtyard!"

He entered the library and saw rows of towering bookshelves filled with countless rare books. The categories included "Cultivation Methods," "Techniques," "Skills," and "Secrets," each different and dazzling to the eye.

Xu Zhou immediately found the row of cultivation techniques.

This row of bookshelves contains exceptionally thick and heavy books. Many techniques are often recorded in several books, indicating one, two, three, four, upper, middle, and lower volumes, with corresponding brief introductions on the book covers.

"The Yin-Condensing Heart Sutra is a Yin-attribute cultivation method, and its effects are extremely good when cultivated in Yin-attribute areas."

"The Five Elements Technique involves the transformation of the five elements, making it quite difficult to cultivate. Once mastered, its magical power contains the power of the five elements and can break all spells."

As Xu Zhou looked at the various cultivation manuals, his eyes lit up. He selected a book called "The Original Fire Illuminates the Heart" and reached out to take down the first volume, intending to read it.

I can't flip through it.

The books were as if glued together, impossible to open, as solid as bricks.

Xu Zhou frowned slightly: "You're not allowed to learn?"

He found the senior brother on duty at the Sutra Repository and learned that these cultivation techniques also needed to be exchanged.

The senior brother continued, "Judging from your unfamiliar face, you must be a newly initiated disciple. Apart from the most basic 'Cultivation of Vitality Technique,' all other scriptures in our sect require contribution points to exchange for."

Xu Zhou couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "Even cultivation techniques need to be exchanged?"

"Of course," the senior brother said, with an attitude that the senior brother was naive. "Cultivation techniques are also an important resource for the sect. Countless people want them but can't get them, while you only need to pay some contribution points to get them. So, when you think about it, the sect is actually losing out."

Helpless, Xu Zhou looked back at the martial arts manuals and, sure enough, found the borrowing price at the bottom of the cover.

At first glance, even something as simple as the "Heart Sutra of Condensing Yin" requires forty contribution points to borrow. Slightly more difficult ones, such as the "Five Elements Technique" and the "Original Fire Illuminating the Heart," cost ninety or even a hundred contribution points.

Not only cultivation methods, but also techniques and skills, these books are not cheap, each costing twenty or thirty yuan or more.

He cursed inwardly, intending to immediately exchange for the cultivation technique and begin learning, but unexpectedly encountered an obstacle.

My spiritual root aptitude is insufficient. My only advantage over others is my excellent learning ability, which I should have made the most of.

But now, the techniques are not allowed to be learned.

Xu Zhou didn't linger and left the Sutra Repository immediately, heading towards the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

He needs to take a closer look at how exactly he can earn contribution points.

After a while.

Xu Zhou walked out of the miscellaneous affairs hall, his face even more gloomy than before.

"There are thousands of miscellaneous tasks in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, but there are very few that can be accepted in the early stages of Qi Refining. And even the most rewarding ones can only earn about six contribution points a month."

"Even the cheapest cultivation technique requires several months of hard work to obtain. The Yellow Sprout Pill, which assists cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining, also costs fifteen contribution points."

"Without a way out, these tasks alone will make it almost impossible for outer disciples to make any progress."

Xu Zhou calculated that, based on the rewards and costs of such a mission, it would probably take him several years to exchange for a suitable cultivation technique and maintain a steady increase in his cultivation level.

As for whether he could focus on improving his cultivation level first and then take on higher-paying missions, Xu Zhou had no hope of that.

After all, as cultivation levels increase, the necessary elixirs also need to be replaced.

"The cultivation techniques are expensive, and the elixirs are expensive too..."

"Isn't this sect a bit too ruthless?"

Xu Zhou returned to the outer courtyard, intending to inquire about the matter from Li Zelei.

Unexpectedly, when he asked, Senior Brother Li told him another piece of bad news.

"By the end of this year, they won't let us live in this outer courtyard anymore."

Xu Zhou was slightly startled and asked in confusion, "If we don't live here, where can we go?"

Li Zelei sighed and said, "According to the sect's rules, if we want to stay, we'll have to spend contribution points to rent a cave within the sect. Otherwise, we'll have to go down the mountain and go home."

Xu Zhou was stunned for a long time.

He then gritted his teeth slightly: "This Golden Flame Sect... their calculations are truly excellent."

Outer disciples can only stay on the mountain for one year. If they cannot contribute contribution points after one year, they will have to leave.

Li Zelei couldn't help but sigh, "Some of my fellow disciples who couldn't comprehend the cultivation technique have already lost heart and gone home. The path of cultivation is indeed fraught with difficulties. We are not the disciples the sect needs, so it's normal that our path ahead is difficult."

Xu Zhou frowned and remained silent.

He also understood that the sect was not a charity.

For outer disciples like them, whose aptitude is not good to begin with, the sect is already more than kind and righteous to leave them a way out and not prohibit them from leaving.

Xu Zhou is only now realizing how difficult this path is.

After bidding farewell to Senior Brother Li, he returned to the miscellaneous affairs hall, went to a notice board, and found the announcement he had just seen.

He had some hesitation when he first discovered it. But when Li Zelei told him that even staying required spending contribution points, the announcement suddenly became incredibly valuable to him.

The notice read:

"Bai Cao Tang is recruiting several apprentices who must stay for at least ten years. Those who are intelligent and hardworking will be given priority."

The starting reward is ten contribution points per month. Accommodation and meals are provided by the hall. In addition, alchemy skills will be taught, and an extra bottle of Yellow Sprout Pill or pills of equivalent value will be provided each month.

Xu Zhou found the disciple on duty in the miscellaneous affairs hall, wanting to inquire about the notice information, but found that besides him, many other people were also attracted by the content of the notice and were also asking about it.

The disciple on duty, who was being questioned, became somewhat impatient: "The Hundred Herbs Hall is located on Thousand Peaks, to the east of the sect. If you want to go, hurry up and go."

Someone hesitated: "Senior brother, the Hundred Herbs Hall offers such good treatment, providing elixirs and training in skills. Isn't it a bit too good to be true? We can hardly believe it."

The senior student sneered, "What a coincidence, you're the third person to ask me that today."

He raised his voice slightly: "Let me explain again, being an apprentice at Baicaotang isn't easy!"

"Once you go there, although they will teach you the skills for free, the way of alchemy is the most difficult of all skills to learn! Even if you are extremely talented, you will have to spend nearly ten hours a day studying, and it will take several years to see results."

"The Hundred Herbs Hall only requires you to master the skills; it has no requirements regarding your cultivation level. Therefore, it will never give you time to cultivate properly. For the next ten years, your cultivation will almost stagnate. Even if you master alchemy, it will be too late, and you will have no hope of achieving the Great Dao in this lifetime."

After the senior brother finished speaking, several eager disciples immediately backed down.

However, among the crowd, Xu Zhou's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.