I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

After the rankings were announced, some people began to give up on the assessment and choose to withdraw.

In just a short while, the number of people in front of Baicaotang dwindled to less than twenty, making it seem exceptionally deserted compared to before.

The remaining outer disciples remained silent, their faces either gloomy or resentful, their gazes towards the inner disciples tinged with hostility.

But the inner disciples didn't care at all, still laughing and discussing who would rank higher in the next test. They didn't even take Peng Hu, who ranked fourth, seriously.

A moment later, Xu Zhou returned to the outer courtyard.

Recalling what he had seen earlier, he was now hesitant about whether to give up the competition for the position at Baicaotang.

Fourteenth place isn't a bad result, but it's still far from the five spots available for Baicaotang.

If this competition continues, can I really outmaneuver those well-prepared inner disciples?

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a sound outside the door, and soon someone knocked on the door.

When Xu Zhou opened the door, he saw Li Zelei, whom he hadn't seen for a while.

"I'm leaving now, I'm just seeing my junior brother one last time."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou's expression changed slightly. He quickly invited the other person into the house and asked, "Where are you going, Senior Brother?"

After Li Zelei sat down, he slowly said, "Some time ago, I inquired around within the sect, trying to find a well-paid position. Not long after, someone from Caizhen Hall contacted me and asked if I wanted to go to Lihuo Caves to assist with mining."

"Li Huo Ku?" Xu Zhou had never heard of it, but he already realized something and frowned slightly.

Li Zelei smiled and said, "Li Huo Cave is a mineral vein controlled by the sect, which is rich in fire elemental ore. My senior brother told me that if I am willing to go there, I will receive sixty contribution points per month."

"The pay is too high. I thought about it carefully and finally agreed."

Sixty contribution points!

Upon hearing such a high reward, Xu Zhou frowned even more.

"Senior Brother Li," he asked, "is there any other danger in this Fire Cave?"

Li Zelei nodded: "Junior brother is indeed quick-witted. This Lihuo Cave is indeed quite dangerous. In addition to the fire element ore veins, there are also ferocious earth vein fire evils. These fire evils are often restless, and ordinary Qi Refining cultivators are extremely difficult to escape unscathed. Even if they manage to escape, the damage to their bodies is still enormous."

Xu Zhou frowned and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Senior brother, is it really necessary to go this far?"

Li Zelei, on the other hand, was quite frank, and even said with a smile, "This is the path I have chosen, junior brother, there is no need to persuade me."

"The reward for the position in the Fire Cave is really too high, a full sixty contribution points. As long as I stay there for a year, earn enough contribution points, and then leave, I can exchange them for a large number of cultivation pills, enough to support my breakthrough to the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

"Once I get there, I'll be able to take on missions to descend the mountain and gain experience. The cultivation world is vast and boundless; if I'm fortunate enough to find an opportunity, there's a chance I might even achieve immortality."

As Li Zelei envisioned the future, his fingers trembled slightly, but his tone was extremely firm.

Xu Zhou did not reply.

After a long silence, Li Zelei smiled again and said, "I was once the son of a wealthy merchant in the mortal world. If I really wanted to turn back, I could have lived a life of luxury."

But now that I've come up the mountain, I don't want to go back to the mortal world.

"Those who cannot live forever will eventually turn to dust."

Xu Zhou understood, of course.

Li Zelei was like this, and so was he himself.

If they didn't have ambitions for immortality, they wouldn't have sought out the Golden Flame Sect in the first place.

Therefore, he did not offer any words of advice, but simply cupped his hands and said, "Then I wish you success on this journey, Senior Brother."

Before leaving, Li Zelei took out a book from his bosom and handed it to Xu Zhou.

"This is the Basic Techniques."

Li Zelei pointed to the book and said, "I've heard my junior brother talk about this kind of technique before. It's a basic technique commonly used by cultivators. The earlier you learn it, the more beneficial it will be for your cultivation."

"It just so happens that after I agreed to go to the Fire Cave, the senior brother in charge helped me advance some contribution points to purchase the necessary magical artifacts, and I still have some left. Seeing that this book is not expensive, I exchanged it and gave it to my junior brother as a parting gift."

Xu Zhou accepted the book and immediately expressed his gratitude solemnly: "I will remember your gift of this book today, Senior Brother."

Li Zelei laughed heartily: "I wish you success in entering Baicaotang in advance. I hope you can help each other out when you achieve something in the future."

After he left, Xu Zhou stood in front of the door and sighed after a long while.

He doesn't like to go out much, and he only knows a few people. Most of them have already left the mountain. Li Zelei, who is his closest friend, is also leaving now, which is quite sad.

Xu Zhou looked at the book "Basic Techniques" in his hand.

The book isn't very thick; it's more like a small booklet, and it doesn't take much time to understand it.

The spells contained within were the most basic types, such as Cleanse, Detection, and Radiance. He had mentioned it to Li Zelei before, but he never expected that the other party would give it as a parting gift.

Opening the ancient texts, Xu Zhou quickly found the technique that interested him most:

Endoscopic surgery.

As the name suggests, this technique allows cultivators to introspect and directly perceive their physical condition, including injuries, meridians, magical power, and lifespan.

It was precisely because this technique could detect lifespan that Xu Zhou had always longed for it. He had originally planned to exchange it for his first contribution points, but now his wish had come true ahead of schedule.

He focused intently on studying it and mastered the technique in just half a day.

"Now we finally have a chance."

"I want to see if the lifespan actually decreases after entering deep learning mode."

Xu Zhou used his magic to quickly sense the condition within his own body. Upon further investigation, he indeed sensed a dense white aura, symbolizing his lifespan.

The white mist was quite dense, and it seemed there was still a lot left. Xu Zhou's cultivation was still shallow, so he couldn't tell the exact number of years, but he roughly estimated that there were at least eighty years left.

As time passes, the white aura of longevity slowly dissipates, but the changes are so subtle that they are imperceptible without careful observation.

"My lifespan has been roughly determined. Now I'll try to study for a while."

Xu Zhou opened the "Spiritual Herbs Classic" and began to study it.

However, when he entered the deep learning state again, he deliberately maintained the simple technique of introspection.

Under internal visualization, the life-giving white energy within the body was still slowly dissipating.

However, compared to usual, the dissipation rate is significantly slower at this moment!

Xu Zhou was startled, jolted out of his deep learning state.

He refocused and tried several more times.

The results were largely the same.

The more focused he was, the slower his lifespan depleted. At its fastest, it remained at 60-70% of its normal level, and at its slowest, it could be reduced to 20-30%.

However, when he focused to the extreme, he found it difficult to maintain his inner vision. Therefore, he could not be sure whether the passage of his lifespan would completely stop when he was in the purest state of concentration.

Xu Zhou shook his head, ultimately failing to fully grasp his own unique strengths.

However, they are roughly the same.

Based on what I know right now, I can confirm that I can learn more and for longer than others.

When others choose a cultivation method, they also need to consider the time required for comprehension, so as not to delay their cultivation and shorten their lifespan.

But I don't need to worry about lifespan at all. No matter how much I study, the loss of lifespan is negligible. I can slowly learn the technique to its deepest level before starting to cultivate.

Xu Zhou remained silent for a while.

Although the confirmation was a pleasant surprise, there wasn't much joy in his eyes.

After all, no matter how strong this ability is, there must be scriptures for him to learn from. And learning resources such as cultivation techniques and skills are expensive and not easy to exchange within the sect.

Furthermore, his ability truly extends lifespan, which means he has to go to great lengths to conceal it to avoid incurring the wrath of others.

Overall, this offers him limited help at present.

"What's the next step?"

"Should I follow Senior Brother Li's example and venture into the Fiery Caves to make a fortune?"

"No, I can do deep learning, I shouldn't follow the same path as him."

"I just need to diligently search for techniques and skills to learn, and hone them little by little over time. Once I've accumulated enough, I'll naturally achieve something. There's absolutely no need to take risks and risk my life."

"Senior Brother Li went to the Blazing Fire Cave because he had to give it his all to achieve rapid cultivation. But since I can study in depth, my cultivation speed can be slower."

Xu Zhou had a deep understanding of this point, just like when he cultivated the [Primordial Essence Cultivation Technique] before.

He pondered for a moment and quickly understood.

The choice then became clear: continue trying to secure an apprenticeship at Baicaotang.

Once selected as an apprentice, one can learn alchemy for free in the future. This skill is one of the most difficult among the hundred arts of cultivation, holding a high status and offering rich rewards upon mastery, providing considerable convenience for one's future cultivation path.

If you give up this opportunity and honestly complete tasks to exchange for cultivation techniques, you might waste several years.

Even if I ultimately fail to be selected, it's like I've wasted three months studying the "Spiritual Herbs Classic." If the decline of my lifespan slows down, it won't be too much of a loss.

After figuring it out, Xu Zhou returned to the table.

The candle was lit.

The book "The Classic of Herbs" is opened.

He stopped thinking about whether he would be rejected and focused on the knowledge at hand.