I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

After learning of the deaths in the Hu family, Li Zelei laughed three times: "Junior brother is indeed capable; he actually managed to get the sect to intervene!"

Then, a look of regret appeared on his face: "It's a pity that I can't take revenge in person."

Xu Zhou shook his head: "Senior brother, you shouldn't be impulsive. The Hu family has connections within the sect. If you really make enemies with them, things won't be easy in the future."

Li Zelei instinctively said, "Why should I be afraid of them? Anyway, I'm single..."

He suddenly stopped talking at this point.

Xu Zhou couldn't help but chuckle, and then, feigning politeness, cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Li, on finding your home. You're no longer all alone."

Li Zelei laughed and cursed a few times before returning to the center of the wedding to attend to the other guests.

Looking at Li Zelei, who was wearing a red robe and standing with Yue Niang with a joyful expression, Xu Zhou was momentarily dazed, as if he were recalling the scene when the other party had just entered the sect.

At that time, Li Zelei was young and ambitious, like a sharp sword, making rapid progress on the path to immortality.

Now over forty, although cultivators age very slowly, their faces still show signs of maturity and experience.

Unexpectedly, Li Zelei, who had always been like the wind, would one day settle down and start a family.

The once sharp sword has now been sheathed and its edge dulled.

But that's alright.

Xu Zhou always felt that if Li Zelei had risked his life for cultivation resources in the early stages, it could be said that he was forced by circumstances. But once Li Zelei reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, adventuring everywhere to find opportunities was no longer of much help; he should have calmed down and spent time honing his skills.

Now that Li Zelei is married, he should be more settled in the future and be able to go further on the path of immortality.

After drinking the celebratory wine, Xu Zhou stayed at the sect for a few more days.

He had intended to visit Song Rou to catch up, but unexpectedly, she was in the crucial stage of alchemy and would be unable to leave for the next two weeks, so he had no choice but to leave.

As his cultivation level improved, his close friends became increasingly busy, making it difficult to meet them.

A few days later, Xu Zhou returned to Qianmu Forest.

...

About a year later, Xu Zhou received two pieces of good news about Li Zelei.

Not long after their marriage, Yue Niang became pregnant. Shortly after, Li Zelei broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, bringing double joy, and named their child "Po Jing".

Xu Zhou was not surprised that he was able to break through.

Li Zelei has been at the sixth level of Qi Refining for many years. He has been working hard outside for a long time and has better cultivation resources than Xu Zhou, an alchemist. Logically speaking, he should have broken through long ago.

The reason he was stuck at the bottleneck was mainly because his early cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, resulting in too many hidden injuries accumulating in his body.

Xu Zhou had written to him before, telling him to take care of himself, but Li Zelei had not studied medical classics and was skeptical of this part of the theory, so he did not heed the advice.

It wasn't until Xu Zhou helped him with treatment that she took the opportunity to clean up his hidden injuries.

In this way, breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining is just a natural progression.

"After more than twenty years of training, he is now in the late stage of Qi Refining." Xu Zhou put down the letter and sighed.

The difference between the late and middle stages of Qi Refining is enormous. Within the Golden Flame Sect, this level of cultivation is sufficient to stand alone and even manage a spiritual land.

Going a step further, one could try to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill, which is produced every so often within the sect.

It can be said that from then on, Li Zelei completely shed his former status as an outer sect disciple and became an important member of the sect.

While Xu Zhou felt envious, he didn't seem to be in a hurry.

After all, he is an alchemist. Once he breaks through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining and obtains the inheritance of alchemy, his status within the sect may not be inferior to that of Li Zelei.

It just takes time to get there.

...

Spiritual practice knows no time.

Once you immerse yourself in your practice and focus on cultivation, time flies by.

In the blink of an eye, the crying infant has grown into a playful child frolicking in the courtyard. The peach blossoms in front of the mountain have bloomed and faded, faded and bloomed again, and five years have passed.

Aside from studying classical texts, Xu Zhou devoted himself to alchemy and training, with almost no distractions whatsoever.

Failed pill residue kept accumulating, while the number of successful pills was very small.

However, as time went on, Xu Zhou's [Longevity Technique] began to operate on its own, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining. He was finally able to stably refine mid-grade pills and became a mid-grade alchemist.

If one wishes to further improve one's alchemy skills, one cannot rely solely on increasing one's cultivation level; one must seek the alchemy inheritance of the Hundred Herbs Hall.

Xu Zhou then left Thousand Wood Forest and returned to the sect.

He submitted his request to inherit the throne, but the elders' response was: rejected.

The reason given was that he had just advanced to the mid-level alchemist and needed time to mature.

Xu Zhou scoffed at this.

Before Song Rou even became a mid-grade alchemist, the Dao of Alchemy had already been passed down to her. He himself had been cultivating for many years, and in terms of the foundation of Dao of Alchemy, no one in the entire Hundred Herbs Hall had a more solid foundation than him. How much more cultivation did he need?

To put it bluntly, the higher-ups at Baicaotang were just indirectly asking for benefits.

But Xu Zhou can't come up with the money right now.

Even for alchemists, accumulating contribution points is not easy.

Since breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining two years ago, he switched from using Yellow Sprout Pills to Qi-Inducing Dew for alchemy, which significantly increased his burden and caused his reserves to be continuously depleted. Only recently, after becoming a mid-grade alchemist and receiving higher rewards for alchemy, has he been able to maintain a balance between income and expenditure.

Fortunately, Xu Zhou is not in a hurry for the time being.

He has already fully mastered the "Thousand Needles Meridian Opening Method" and has only just begun learning the "Cold Sleep Visualization Method". He is not afraid of not having a source of learning materials in the next few years.

He is only 48 years old now, and his actual physical age is no more than twenty. It won't hurt for him to continue waiting.

I'll go back to the Hundred Herbs Hall first, refine pills to accumulate contribution points, and also inquire about any ways to get in touch with the elders.

Upon returning to familiar surroundings, Xu Zhou first visited Deacon Zhang.

Over the years, Deacon Zhang's face has become wrinkled, and he no longer looks like he once did in his prime. But he remains as meticulous and sincere as ever.

Upon seeing Xu Zhou, his face was filled with emotion as he smiled and said, "Many years have passed, and you have finally become a mid-grade alchemist. Congratulations!"

Xu Zhou said solemnly, "I must thank you, Steward, for introducing me to the Hundred Herbs Hall. Otherwise, how would I be where I am today?"

After chatting for a while, Deacon Zhang asked him about his next plans.

After Xu Zhou finished explaining his plans, Steward Zhang immediately said, "In that case, how about we consider training a few apprentices for Baicaotang?"

"Taking on apprentices?"

Xu Zhou was slightly taken aback.

Years ago, he was just an apprentice, randomly chosen by other alchemists. Now, it's his turn to mentor apprentices?

Steward Zhang nodded and smiled, "You're a mid-grade alchemist now, you should have been helping to mentor some of the younger ones a long time ago. There's a batch of apprentices who need to be assigned positions recently, and there aren't many suitable alchemists in the hall, so please help me out a bit."

Don't worry, there's compensation for mentoring apprentices. And once you get through the initial period, having someone assist you in alchemy will make it much faster than if you did it alone.

Xu Zhou pondered for a moment and immediately nodded: "This disciple is willing to share the burden for Baicaotang."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw a strange expression on Deacon Zhang's face, an expression he had never seen before.

Steward Zhang chuckled and said, "Since that's the case, it just so happens that I have a grandson who is currently an apprentice at Hundred Herbs Hall. Why don't you... help me look after him for a while?"

Xu Zhou was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "What are you saying, Steward? You're just like my teacher. I'm honored by your high regard, and I'll gladly accept."

These words put Steward Zhang in a great mood, and he beamed with joy.

He patted Xu Zhou on the shoulder and whispered, "Of all the apprentices I've taught, you've always been the best in my heart. Even Song Rou isn't as dedicated to alchemy as you."

If you ask me, I should have passed on my alchemy skills to you long ago; you might already be at the threshold of becoming a high-grade alchemist. I have absolute confidence in having your grandson in your care.

A moment later, Xu Zhou left.

When he left, he still had the storage bag that Deacon Zhang had insisted on giving him in his arms. It was filled with rare medicinal herbs, which, when converted into contribution points, were equivalent to half a year's income for him.

Xu Zhou then went to see Song Rou.

On this visit, they happened to arrive just as the other party finished refining pills, giving them a chance to sit down and catch up.

Song Rou now appears more dignified than before, yet she retains the charm of her youth, possessing even more allure than before. Upon meeting Xu Zhou, she greeted him with a broad smile, and they chatted amiably until nightfall before departing.

After seeing her off, Xu Zhou felt that the other person had changed after so many years.

Although she was still kind to him, a certain something had been missing from her eyes. Xu Zhou couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely gone.

During the conversation, although Song Rou didn't say it, Xu Zhou could tell from the details that she was in a difficult situation.

Song Rou once possessed extraordinary talent in alchemy, and her skills improved rapidly. However, she has now encountered her own bottleneck and is still quite far from becoming a top-grade alchemist.

However, her spiritual root aptitude is not very good. Even with the help of a large number of pills, she is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

At this rate, she will definitely become a top-grade alchemist in the future, but whether she can surpass the limit and reach the threshold of a second-tier alchemist, or even achieve enlightenment and establish a foundation, is still uncertain.

These two things are very important to her; if she fails, her talent and years of hard work will be meaningless.

As a result, Song Rou lived a rather hurried life.

When she talked about alchemy, her eyes still shone, but when she talked about other things, she always stopped short of elaborating, never lingering for even a moment longer.

Even when meeting with an old friend like Xu Zhou whom he hadn't seen for many years, he could only spare half a day to talk before leaving in a hurry.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhou shook his head inwardly.

Without the ability to learn deeply, he might not be able to be so leisurely.

Putting all that aside, he returned to the new cave dwelling prepared for him by Baicaotang, opened the classics and continued to study, waiting for the apprentices to come tomorrow.