I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

a few days later.

Li Zelei returned to his sect.

Tong Jin and Ouyang Ming had already taken their leave, with only Xu Zhou, who was also a practitioner of medicine, remaining by their side.

The Moon Goddess managed to remain calm, but the little girl Wangshu burst into tears.

Being so young, she couldn't tell what had happened. Perhaps she sensed something was wrong at home, or maybe she thought Li Zelei's drastic change in appearance meant he was seriously ill and difficult to appease.

The crying outside the door continued intermittently. After listening for a while, Li Zelei suddenly laughed.

"You're still in the mood to laugh?"

Xu Zhou said with a solemn expression.

Li Zelei lay on the bed and sighed, "I'm still alive, I'm back in this house, why shouldn't I be happy?"

He looked up at the roof, his voice a little hoarse: "Actually, thinking about it carefully, this result isn't bad."

At first, I really couldn't hold on. Every night, the thought that I had no hope of ever living forever... made me feel quite empty.

However, in the past few days, when I woke up, I suddenly realized that I didn't need to rush into cultivation or worry about my path. This feeling... is quite relaxing.

Xu Zhou did not respond.

After a long pause, Li Zelei finally spoke:

"Just tell me."

He looked at Xu Zhou, who was standing by the bed, and said, "I have some understanding of my own condition and have some guesses. You might as well just say it."

Xu Zhou did not speak immediately.

After considering his words for a moment, he slowly spoke: "Your realm is unstable. If you don't cultivate to stabilize it, you may fall back to the eighth level of Qi Refining."

In addition, your physical condition is very poor, almost back to that of an ordinary person. In the next few years, you need to be careful to protect yourself from wind and cold, otherwise you may get sick, which will be very unpleasant.

He paused briefly at this point.

Then, he continued, "Furthermore, your lifespan has also diminished considerably, and you probably won't live to the theoretical lifespan limit of a Qi Refining cultivator."

Li Zelei nodded slightly: "How much longer can I live?"

Xu Zhou remained silent for a long time.

"...about ten years."

"I see."

Li Zelei grinned and said, "That's not bad either. He lived longer than my father. It seems that I didn't make a mistake in going up the mountain to seek immortality back then."

Xu Zhou frowned slightly, wondering how Senior Brother Li could still laugh at this moment.

"Junior brother."

Li Zelei spoke up, saying, "Since I started cultivating on the mountain, I've had a nerve in my head that's been on edge until a few days ago."

Now, that nerve has snapped. But I no longer need to be tense; instead, I can relax and enjoy family life.

I'm already very satisfied with this result.

He chuckled and said, "Luckily, I went to the trouble of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill beforehand, otherwise I wouldn't be enjoying this blessing now."

Xu Zhou still did not answer.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Li Zelei sighed softly and changed the subject: "Look at me, at the Foundation Establishment stage, have I learned much experience?"

"Yes." Xu Zhou nodded.

"Then my efforts weren't in vain."

His tone was somewhat strange: "I used to think that since you, junior brother, are progressing so slowly, I might outlive you."

Now that I think about it, I really believe you might have a chance to reach Foundation Establishment, ahead of everyone else. In any case, as an alchemist, you'll most likely outlive me.

Li Zelei remained silent for a long time, seemingly hesitating about something.

Finally, he reached into his robes, took out several books from his storage bag, and handed them over to Xu Zhou under his questioning gaze.

"These are the secret manuals for the Gengjin Sword Qi I cultivate, as well as the Thunderclap Escape Technique."

Li Zelei coughed a few times and said in a low voice:

"Among them, the Thunderclap Escape Technique was an opportunity I obtained after risking my life countless times."

A fleeting look of hesitation crossed his eyes: "Junior brother, you should accept it."

Xu Zhou frowned slightly: "Why is that?"

Li Zelei coughed a few more times and said, "Junior brother."

I didn't want to say these things, after all, I'm not dead yet, and saying them now would sound like giving my last instructions.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "But now, I really don't dare to gamble on how much longer I can live."

I've spent almost all my savings on Foundation Establishment, and these few secret manuals are my most precious possessions. Senior brother, I ask for nothing else, I only ask you to promise me one thing.

He looked at Xu Zhou with hope in his eyes: "After I leave, if the Li family encounters any major changes, I hope you can lend a helping hand."

Xu Zhou did not immediately agree, but said, "You still have more than ten years to live. Before that, if you can find a longevity pill, you might be able to live even longer."

"never mind."

To Xu Zhou's surprise, Li Zelei immediately shook his head.

He said, "I've worked my whole life, but this time, I don't want to work anymore."

I know how hard it is to find the Longevity Pill. Even Foundation Establishment elders can't get their hands on it, so how could I possibly have a chance? If I recklessly try to obtain it, I'm more likely to run into trouble and not even live for a dozen years.

Xu Zhou remained silent for a long time.

Li Zelei added, "Junior brother, I don't ask you to protect the Li family forever. On the path of cultivation, no one can protect anyone for a lifetime."

I only ask that my junior brother, mindful of our past friendship, help me out within his power once in a while, and I will be content. If the younger generation proves incompetent, my junior brother can simply let go, and I will not say a word.

After he finished speaking, he handed the manual over again.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Xu Zhou remained silent for a moment before finally reaching out to accept the manual.

"If it's just something I do on a whim, I won't stand idly by."

But if it's beyond my ability, then there's nothing I can do to help.

Upon seeing this, Li Zelei's face lit up with joy.

"Junior brother, just act according to the situation, and don't feel burdened by it."

He spoke urgently and coughed again, forcing Xu Zhou to channel his magic power into him to gradually stabilize his condition.

After a moment, Li Zelei calmed down.

He lay back down, closed his eyes, and said, "Let me sleep for a while."

...

In the months that followed, Xu Zhou still occasionally visited the Li family for medical consultations.

Li Zelei has gradually adapted to his current life.

No more cultivation, no more magical battles.

Most of the time, he would just hold Wangshu and bask in the sun in the courtyard.

Occasionally, when Xu Zhou came to visit, she would invite him for a few drinks.

He never brought up cultivation again, only talking about everyday family matters.

His face is now covered with wrinkles, and he doesn't look like the once powerful and influential cultivator at the peak of Qi cultivation at all. He seems to have truly become an old man living a peaceful old age in the mortal world.

Once Li Zelei recovered from his injuries, Xu Zhou resumed his usual routine of only venturing out after months of seclusion.

When they visited again, they always found that Li Zelei had aged even more.

His temples were turning grayer, and his back was gradually becoming hunched.

Sometimes I would sit in the courtyard basking in the sun and sleep for half a day.

If it weren't for the lingering aura of a Qi Refining cultivator, he would be almost indistinguishable from the ordinary old men at the foot of the mountain.

Only when talking about his adventurous experiences in his youth does a glimmer of light occasionally return to his eyes.

Xu Zhou was initially a little unaccustomed to it.

Later, I gradually got used to it.