I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

When Xu Zhou visited again, he found Li Zelei in a very good mood.

The reason, of course, is Juan's fate.

"I heard that Juanming has already broken ties with the Hu family. He doesn't care about the grudges between them at all."

Li Zelei became emotional when he spoke about this matter.

"I found out about this news through someone in the Hu family. One of the Hu family members who attacked me before was the grandson of the Hu family patriarch, which is why the Hu family is so aggressive."

Unfortunately, Juan had no attachment to the Hu family, and even the Hu family patriarch's pleas did not earnestly grant his request.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou nodded and said, "I heard that Hu Anming was born a concubine and was not well received at home. Now that he has parted ways with the Hu family, it is the Hu family's own fault."

"Now I can rest assured," Li Zelei said with a smile.

Xu Zhou was thinking about how to find out about his recent situation.

The next moment, Li Zelei suddenly straightened up and spoke in a serious tone.

"Junior brother, I need your help."

Xu Zhou was taken aback: "How can I help you?"

"I want to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Li Zelei's expression was resolute as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "I want to compete for first place in next year's Inner Sect Competition."

He then slowly said, "In the past two years, no Foundation Establishment Pills were produced in the Grand Competition. According to this pattern, there should be one next year."

I want to fight for this opportunity, get the Foundation Establishment Pill, and try my hand at Foundation Establishment.

Xu Zhou thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

Apart from foundation building, nothing else can be considered a major event.

He slowly asked, "When did you break through?"

Li Zelei chuckled, his aura surging, displaying the power of someone who had just broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He said proudly, "Just a few days ago, I finally broke through the bottleneck and reached the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Although I've only just broken through, my cultivation should stabilize after the Grand Competition. With a little adjustment then, before I turn seventy, I'm confident I can achieve Foundation Establishment.

Xu Zhou sensed the aura emanating from the other party and confirmed that it was indeed at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He also remembered that the other party was a cultivator of the body.

If combined with Foundation Establishment Pills, there is indeed a good chance of successfully establishing one's foundation.

If this continues for a few more years, Li Zelei's vital energy will truly decline after he turns seventy, and the probability of him achieving Foundation Establishment will be extremely low.

Xu Zhou pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you need my help with?"

"Give me some of all kinds of healing pills, pills to stabilize cultivation, and even pills for sudden bursts of power. In addition, and most importantly..."

Clearing Obstacles Pill.

Xu Zhou had anticipated this.

He knew this day would come when Li Zelei suggested keeping the opportunity to use the Clearing Pill.

"That's all fine. However, after taking the Clearing Pill, you won't be able to fight for a period of time. So you'll have to come back to me after the competition."

Li Zelei nodded: "Okay."

"In addition, I have one more request."

Xu Zhou looked at the other person: "When you are establishing your foundation, I would like to observe from the side to learn from your experience."

A look of surprise flashed across Li Zelei's face.

But he quickly nodded: "No problem, that's only natural."

With his promise, Xu Zhou felt relieved.

Over the years, he has read many classic texts on foundation building, trying to clarify the specific process of foundation building.

But no matter how it is recorded in the book, there is always a layer between them.

The matter of foundation building is different from skills and techniques; it is mysterious and profound. A slight difference can lead to a huge error.

Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you understand its mysteries.

Although Song Rou had not yet established her foundation, she had promised him that she would help him apply for Foundation Establishment Pills in the future, so she couldn't ask for more. Now that Li Zelei wanted to establish his foundation, it was Xu Zhou's opportunity.

If successful, he will have one more reference point when he is building his foundation in the future.

Even if you fail, you can learn from the experience.

The business is over.

The two remained silent for a long time.

The task of building a foundation is fraught with peril, with only a slim chance of survival.

Realizing that the two had discussed their future life and death in a short time, they were at a loss for words.

After a long pause, Xu Zhou tentatively asked, "Sister-in-law... do Jing'er and the others know?"

After a moment's thought, Li Zelei said, "Although I didn't say it explicitly, they may have already figured it out."

He gave a wry smile: "After all, they are family members. The slightest clues I gave should have been discovered long ago. Of course, they tried to hide it, but I could also detect their flaws."

Xu Zhou sighed inwardly.

Now I finally understand why Li Pochen insisted on keeping it a secret.

Li Zelei's attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and vie for the top spot among the inner disciples is an extremely important matter.

To achieve this, he must integrate all the resources he possesses and seize any remaining opportunity.

Under these circumstances, Li Pochen's sudden decision to abandon alchemy will inevitably divert some of the family's cultivation resources. The amount may be small, but it will still have some impact on the Li family.

For the Li family now, even the most important matters must be put aside for the time being, and discussed after this year's competition.

Xu Zhou thought about it and decided not to tell Li Pochen about it.

Although he is the third son of the Li family, Li Pochen is also his disciple.

He could still afford to provide this amount of cultivation resources.

...

Xu Zhou didn't stay long.

Li Pochen had just broken through and needed to go into seclusion to consolidate his cultivation, so he was not kept for long.

After leaving, Xu Zhou took the opportunity to inquire about the situation of this year's competition.

After listening to everyone's opinions, his expression darkened.

It was quite intense.

Because no Foundation Establishment Pills have been produced for two consecutive years, most people believe that there will definitely be Foundation Establishment Pills this year, so many disciples plan to go all out in this year's competition.

Among them were some elders' sons, or even those with notorious reputations.

Li Zelei was inconspicuous among them.

Among the late-stage Qi Refining disciples, he could only rank between 20th and 30th.

Most of those ranked in the top ten have been at the ninth level of Qi Refining for many years, and some even already possess the foundation to break through to Foundation Establishment, only lacking a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Xu Zhou, however, felt that Li Zelei might still have a fighting chance.

Besides his Qi Refining cultivation, Li Zelei had already achieved mastery of Body Refinement several years ago, which alone would have put him among the top twenty Qi Refining disciples.

Xu Zhou had also witnessed him unleash the Gengjin Sword Qi, which was an extremely powerful magical technique, the kind that wasn't even recorded in the Scripture Pavilion.

It wouldn't be surprising at all if Li Zelei had any trump cards up his sleeve.

However, similarly, other disciples within the sect may also have their own trump cards.

Every year during the competition, there are disciples who were once inconspicuous but suddenly unleash strength far beyond what is known. Such dark horses are too common. Even Xu Zhou, who doesn't care about the competition, knows about several of them.

Given that this year's competition will be even more intense, there's no guarantee that two or three people like Li Zelei, who are hiding their true abilities, will emerge.

If Li Zelei fails to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill this year, and despite using all his methods, he will find it difficult to compete for first place again next year, especially given the increased vigilance from others.

Not to mention, Foundation Establishment Pills are not available every year.

If this drags on until Li Zelei's qi and blood are exhausted, even with Foundation Establishment Pills, it will be difficult for him to establish his foundation.

If Deacon Yuan hadn't passed away, or if Song Rou had achieved Foundation Establishment ahead of time, Xu Zhou might actually have been able to obtain this information and replicate the Xiao family's miracle.

But now, all we can do is watch Li Zelei take a gamble.

"It seems that this year is almost Senior Brother Li's only chance."

Xu Zhou suppressed his thoughts.

He can only do what he is capable of doing.

As for whether Li Zelei will achieve Foundation Establishment and prolong his life, or simply fade into obscurity, that depends on his fate.

...

In the days that followed, Xu Zhou focused on helping Li Zelei refine pills.

Several bottles of each of the common healing pills, such as Qingxin Dan, Yuhuan Dan, and Jingqi Dan, were prepared.

In addition, Xu Zhou also learned a set of blood-refining pill formulas and refined pills that could enhance strength on the spot.

He didn't refine too much of it, since although the price of this stuff was only a few days of weakness, consuming too much in a short period of time would still have a significant impact.

If the foundation is damaged and cannot be built, then the fundamentals are reversed.

About six months later, the competition officially began.

Xu Zhou hadn't paid attention before, but now he went to watch it.

The Inner Sect Grand Competition is only open to cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage, and all those who rank in the top 100 receive rewards. Apart from a few cultivators like Xu Zhou who only learn skills, the vast majority of disciples participate.

As the competition began, a dozen or so arenas were set up on the sect's sword-training platform, and the disciples were divided into pairs to compete.

Li Zelei was among them, facing off against another disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

This disciple cultivated the Way of Talisman Control and seemed to have vaguely learned some talisman array techniques. He unleashed a barrage of fireball talismans, displaying astonishing power.

However, it only has great power. When it is actually used, even Xu Zhou can see that there are quite a few flaws in its talisman array.

Li Zelei didn't launch a direct attack, but instead relied on his agility to fight back. After fighting for about two incense sticks' time, the opponent's talismans gradually faded, and he began to feel the pinch of exhaustion, so he conceded defeat and left the arena.

The match was fairly standard, without any real sparks, and didn't attract much attention.

However, things changed in the next game.

After the first round of elimination, those who remained had some ability.

Before Li Zelei took the stage, several exciting matches had already taken place.

Some people accumulated a large number of talismans and used them all in the battle, winning with overwhelming force.

Some people don't show their cultivation level normally, but suddenly reveal their profound skills when the time comes, crushing their opponents with their magical power advantage.

Some people feign weakness and are suppressed by their opponents from beginning to end, until they finally turn the tables and win the victory.

Those from the same school who were determined to win a ranking all showed off their skills.

The second opponent Li Zelei encountered was a true Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator.

As soon as the referee announced the start, the opponent made a hand seal, and a long sword flew out from behind him, turning into a cold light that shot straight towards him.

He was actually a sword cultivator!

The moment the sword flashed, a murderous aura filled the air.

For a time, Li Zelei was constantly suppressed by the continuous sword light and could only release several defensive magic weapons to temporarily resist.

However, Li Zelei's experience in combat is indeed extensive.

After a short while, he had already discerned the opponent's sword trajectory. He wielded the three shield magic weapons in a dense and impenetrable manner. Instead of showing any fear, he continued to press forward, compressing the space of the opposing sword cultivator.

Soon, the swordsman was forced into a corner and it was clear that he was no match for the enemy.

At the last moment, the opponent gritted his teeth and finally couldn't help but unleash his killing move.

"Take this!"

With a whoosh, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the sword cultivator's sleeve, piercing straight towards Li Zelei with a speed even faster than the longsword.

This ray of light was actually a flying sword, but it was smaller, like a dagger. It had been hidden in the sword cultivator's sleeve until now.

Many people gasped in surprise, and several female cultivators beside Xu Zhou were even stunned with fright.

But Li Zelei had anticipated this.

He merely shifted his body slightly as the sharp sword was about to strike.

What appeared to be a simple dodge was actually incredibly agile. The sharp sword came swiftly, almost grazing his clothes, but ultimately failed to harm him.

The sword cultivator was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting this, and still wanted to manipulate his twin swords to launch a counterattack.

But Li Zelei gave him no chance, manipulating several shields to crash into him, sending him out of the arena and winning the match.

Xu Zhou observed the entire process, nodding in approval repeatedly.

He rarely witnessed such a real, hard-fought battle, and felt his eyes were opened wide.

"However, although the others are all quite strong, they seem to be much weaker than Senior Brother Li."

As he relaxed, he glanced around and suddenly sensed something.

In that instant, his divine sense spread out and he heard a conversation that piqued his interest.

Xu Zhou remained calm and composed, not looking around, but lowering his head slightly as if he were dozing off.

At the same time, his divine sense was released like threads, probing in the direction he had previously sensed.

A moment later, a voice came from my divine sense.

"Junior Brother Hu, you seem quite interested in this disciple who just won?"

After a moment of silence, a cold voice rang out.

"That step of his was a bit strange; he must have cultivated some kind of escape technique."