I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

When Xu Zhou first accepted Xiao Jingwen as his disciple, his consciousness was already in a state of imminent birth.

He then observed Xiao Jingwen for some time. Once he was certain that the other party would not cause him any trouble, his divine sense finally began to sprout its first strand over time.

However, Xu Zhou had already planned to apply for the inheritance of alchemy at that time, so he did not look at the jade slip.

After all, he had studied alchemy for over thirty years, and if he had a choice, he would definitely prefer to study alchemy.

But now that this path is blocked, the jade slip has become a way out.

Xu Zhou picked up the jade slip, hesitating for a moment.

After all, his divine sense was still in its early stages and very immature. He had never used it before and had no experience in reading jade slips.

After only a brief hesitation, he placed the jade slip between his eyebrows, following the information he had previously gathered.

He carefully extended his divine sense outwards, touching the jade slip.

The next moment, his mind was completely absorbed in it.

A vast amount of knowledge about formations flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. It was as if he had read through thousands of books in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, Xu Zhou suddenly pulled the jade slip away.

He grimaced slightly, rubbed his temples, and vaguely felt a pain between his eyebrows.

The newly cultivated divine sense was still too delicate; it could not withstand even a brief contact.

At this moment, the soul in the spiritual platform is somewhat weak, and it seems that it will take some time to recover.

After resting for a while and waiting for the throbbing pain between his eyebrows to gradually disappear, Xu Zhou began to recall his previous experience.

In just a short time, he memorized much of the knowledge from the jade slips. Now, with just a little recall, that knowledge could appear before his eyes as images.

Of course, this does not mean that he has mastered this knowledge.

Knowledge is merely stored in a corner of the mind, making it easier to access. But to fully master it requires a long period of dedicated study.

Xu Zhou pondered for a while, then retrieved the knowledge of array formations from his mind and examined it carefully.

At the same time, he carefully observed his internal condition.

Soon, a familiar sense of silence welled up in his heart, his breathing seemed to slow down, and his sense of time blurred. All that remained before him was the ever-swirling knowledge of array formations and the scene he saw through his inner vision.

Xu Zhou didn't remain in a daze for long; he quickly recovered and his face lit up with joy.

"Very good."

"Even if knowledge enters the mind, it can trigger a state of deep learning."

This was his main purpose in continuing to learn; confirming that he could still enter this state, he immediately felt much more at ease.

"This path is indeed feasible."

"Array formations, alchemy, talismans, and artifacts are the most difficult yet most practical skills among all the arts of cultivation. If the path of alchemy is blocked, the path of array formations can also lead to a way out."

Xu Zhou calmed down and once again reviewed the knowledge of formation techniques.

He became like a statue, engrossed in studying the Dao of Confrontation.

They remained immersed in this state for several hours.

He was no longer the boy who needed a candle to wake him up. When he realized that too much time had passed, he naturally withdrew from his studies.

In that short time, he had already briefly reviewed the knowledge of array formations in his mind and gained a basic understanding of array formations.

I felt a sudden sense of clarity and understanding.

"To learn alchemy, one must first thoroughly study the classics on medicine and understand the techniques of alchemy, which is extremely difficult to begin with. However, once one has learned it, as long as one practices diligently and has inherited knowledge, improving one's skills will come naturally."

"But the way of formations is exactly the opposite."

"When you first start learning, the basic knowledge is very easy to grasp. Even if you just learn some rudimentary techniques, you can still create a great illusion in the ordinary world."

"But the further you learn, the more obstacles you encounter. Without exceptional talent, it takes an immeasurable amount of time."

Xu Zhou nodded slightly: "When I was reading through the classics, I saw that the array masters in the cultivation world were all exceptionally talented, but their cultivation levels were always lower than those of their peers."

It seems that only those willing to spend time studying array formations can become masters. Those who can't bring themselves to learn are just ordinary cultivators with a rudimentary understanding of array formations.

However, it couldn't be more perfect for me.

He lightly tapped the air with his fingertips: "I do not lose lifespan when I learn. The more time I need to learn formations, the more lifespan I can extend."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel much better.

"I never imagined that the gift that Senior Brother Zheng gave me back then would actually come in handy now. This jade slip alone contains enough knowledge for me to study for decades, enough to keep me learning for the Qi Refining stage and below."

This also gave him an answer to a small matter: "No wonder the Zheng family didn't say much when Senior Brother Zheng gave me this inheritance."

For most people lacking talent, the inheritance of array formation techniques is like a divine scripture, a poison that wastes their time. Let alone a second-tier inheritance, even a third-tier one, if it were to fall into disrepair, would require someone to actually learn it.

Once he understood all this, the gloom that had previously risen within him due to his predicament with alchemy instantly dissipated, and he unconsciously smiled.

Forcing himself to suppress the smile on his face, he resumed his previous cold expression, put away the jade slip, and took out the "Hundred Refinements to Elixir Book".

"Regardless of the circumstances, this legacy is still worth witnessing."

"We still need to maintain appearances and not let others notice the problem."

...

In the eyes of most people at Baicaotang, Xu Zhou was no different from before.

Only a few people who cared could notice that he had been feeling unsettled lately.

He visited Song Rou privately and then took the opportunity to ask Xiao Bing a question: how to establish a relationship with the elders of the sect?

Both Song Rou and Xiao Bing said they were unable to help.

Although Song Rou also came from an outer sect, she was exceptionally talented and had long been noticed by the elders of Baicaotang and taken under their wing. Xu Zhou could not replicate this experience.

Xiao Bing further implied to Xu Zhou that, given his abilities, it was simply impossible for him to curry favor with the elders.

With so many people currying favor with the elders, why would Xu Zhou, whose alchemy skills were mediocre and whose spiritual roots and comprehension were not outstanding, both dedicate resources and favors to help him?

Xu Zhou was depressed for a while, but then he returned to his old life.

He taught apprentices and practiced alchemy.

Only those who know him well will notice that he spends less time reading classic texts, as if he has lost his former strong thirst for knowledge.

Knowing all this, Steward Yuan could only sigh inwardly.

However, in his heart, this was already the best possible outcome.

"Just wait it out. When I get to my age, there will still be some opportunities."

After a while, Xu Zhou confirmed that no one was paying attention to him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was insignificant to the sect as a whole, and theoretically no one would care what he did, he still subconsciously didn't want to reveal too much.

The fact that he has switched to studying array formations must not be revealed to outsiders until his array formation skills have reached a certain level.

On the surface, he continued to refine elixirs.

After all, the inheritance of alchemy has been obtained, and no matter how hard it is, it is still a way out.

However, whenever he had free time, he would immerse himself in the knowledge of array formations in his mind.

The more he studied, the more he felt that he had wasted his previous time.

The art of formations requires a great deal of time to study and practice, unless one possesses an innate talent for it. This is perfect for him.

If he had gone to Yuzhen Hall instead of Baicao Hall when he first started, he would not only have saved a lot of time, but he might even have been able to seek the inheritance of Yuzhen Hall.

After all, alchemy requires medicinal materials, which can lead to a shortage of resources for top-tier alchemists. However, materials for array formations can often be reused, and the Imperial Array Hall has ample resources in this regard.

Unfortunately, he had no choice in this matter.

Now all I can do is work even harder to study array formations.

...

Among the various arts of cultivation, the art of array formation has always been considered the most difficult.

The only art comparable in difficulty to the Dao of Arrays is the legendary and mysterious art of divination. However, this art is nearly lost, making the Dao of Arrays the only one that is said to encompass everything.

Human body formation, natural formation, beast formation, Taoist formation—the Tao of formations encompasses a wide variety of methods, and is the most difficult to master.

Ordinary cultivators who are new to this path are easily dazzled by the intricate branches of array formations.

But Xu Zhou is a little different.

He was already a mid-level alchemist, and at the same time, he also practiced medicine and had considerable experience in it.

When learning about formations, Xu Zhou would use his own knowledge to understand things when it came to medicinal herbs or the human body, saving a lot of study time.

This also made him pay special attention to this kind of knowledge.

With prolonged study, he gained a comprehensive understanding in this area, which actually made up for some shortcomings in his alchemy and medicine. His horizons broadened considerably, and his insight became much more discerning.

Through his observation, he gradually discovered some unusual things in life.

Xu Zhou once set up a furnace to refine pills, with Xiao Jingwen assisting him. On one occasion, they refined a batch of Ice Heart Pills that could calm the minds of cultivators, and the pills were extremely effective, which surprised Xu Zhou.

After all, he had some understanding of his alchemy skills and shouldn't be able to refine such high-quality pills.

If it were any other alchemist, they might think it was just good luck, that today was a good day for alchemy.

However, Xu Zhou, who had studied array formations, had a different idea.

The quality of elixirs is not only determined by the medicinal materials and the alchemist, but also by the environment in which they are made.

Compared to Xu Zhou's last attempt to refine the Ice Heart Pill, the only change in the alchemy room was the addition of Xiao Jingwen.

After that, Xu Zhou refined a lot of pills. Most of the time, the quality of the pills didn't change much, except when refining cold-natured pills, the quality would improve slightly.

This reminded Xu Zhou of the teacup Xiao Jingwen had used before, and the ice crystal that had quickly disappeared from it.

I thought it was just a temporary anomaly, but I never expected it to last so long.

"The human body can freeze? Could it be some kind of unique constitution?"

Xu Zhou couldn't help but feel curious.

He had no intention of prying into other people's privacy, but Xiao Jingwen was, after all, his apprentice, so it was best to have some information about him.

Since exchanging for the inheritance, Xu Zhou would occasionally exchange for some miscellaneous books from the Scripture Pavilion to read, and others, seeing this so often, no longer paid any attention.

Now that he had taken up the idea of ​​investigating, he exchanged an extra book explaining the cultivation physique one day, and no one paid any attention to it.

Upon closer examination, it was found that quite a few individuals possessed physical characteristics that matched Xiao Jingwen's description.

Although Xu Zhou wasn't sure who the other person was, his expression was somewhat amused.

"According to ancient records, most people with a cold constitution are not suitable for male cultivators."

"If this happens, then as his cultivation level increases, this male cultivator will either encounter a bottleneck or be easily affected by his physique, and his appearance or personality will gradually become extreme."

"Would Xiao Jingwen be in this situation?"

Although Xiao Jingwen has a cold personality and is not bad-looking, he is not extreme.

Of course, this could also be because his cultivation level is not high enough.

The records in the classics are rather vague, after all, they are only books in the library for all disciples, so some things are not written in too much detail.

Xu Zhou closed the book without giving it much thought.

Once he confirmed that Xiao Jingwen's physical condition would not cause any trouble, he was unwilling to continue the investigation.

Each cultivator's physique is determined by their own destiny.

Knowing the general outline of someone else's secret is enough.