I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Cai Mouyuan looked at Xu Zhou, as if he had gained a new understanding of him.

He quickly shook his head and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Xu, you truly deserve to be called an alchemist; your knowledge is indeed remarkable."

He raised his hand and beckoned the ball of eerie green flame back into the wooden box.

"Indeed, this item is not the genuine Jade Spirit Marrow Flame, but rather a second-grade Azure Spirit Marrow Flame."

However, fellow Daoist should also understand. Genuine Azure Marrow Spirit Flame has always circulated only within the Yin Soul Sect, rarely leaking out. Even if it does occasionally leak out, obtaining it is extremely difficult.

As he spoke, his tone gradually became serious.

"Although the Azure Marrow Flame is slightly inferior, its benefits to the Foundation Establishment and Divine Soul Cultivation stages have not been diminished much. According to the Chamber of Commerce's assessment, its effects are still at least 70-80% intact."

Otherwise, the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't have included it among the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

Xu Zhou tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

"Seven or eight out of ten..."

He pondered for a moment, then spoke again: "If that's the case, the price of this item should be reduced by at least 30%."

Cai Mouyuan smiled wryly: "Fellow Daoist Xu, that cut was a bit too ruthless."

The Chamber of Commerce also spent a considerable amount of money to acquire this item. If the price is reduced by another 30%, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself when I return."

Xu Zhou, however, remained calm.

"The true Spirit Essence Flame can increase the grasp of the Divine Soul Gate by 30%."

If this item only has 70-80% of its effect left, it means that during the Foundation Establishment stage, there will be at least a 10% less chance.

Fellow Daoist Cai, how many spirit stones do you think a 10% chance of Foundation Establishment is worth?

Cai Mouyuan remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

"Fine."

He smiled and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Xu is a distinguished guest of the Chamber of Commerce, I should not ruin our friendship."

How about this? The price of Spirit Essence Flame will be reduced by 20%. Furthermore, if you need any Foundation Establishment items in the future, the Merchant Guild can give you priority in finding them; consider this a way for me to make a friend.

Xu Zhou pondered for a moment.

Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay."

Cai Mouyuan immediately smiled.

The two then renegotiated the price.

Xu Zhou looked at Wuxiaye, though he wanted to find more loopholes. However, this time, he didn't have any information like the "Dream Devouring Sutra" to understand Wuxiaye's background, so he could only give up helplessly.

Ultimately, the deal between the two parties was completed.

Cai Mouyuan couldn't help but show a satisfied expression.

He did not immediately get up to take his leave, but instead took out a jade slip from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

Xu Zhou's eyes flickered: "Fellow Daoist Cai, what is the meaning of this?"

"These are some foundation-building insights that the Chamber of Commerce has collected over the years."

Cai Mouyuan smiled and said, "Among them are fifty books in total, some from independent cultivators and some from sect cultivators. Although they are not particularly precious, they are of some reference value."

Since you are collecting Foundation Establishment spiritual items, you must need these, so I will give them to you.

Xu Zhou's eyes flickered slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Cai, thank you for your kindness."

Cai Mouyuan chuckled and said, "It's just a bonus. Fellow Daoist Xu has done a lot of business with the Chamber of Commerce over the years, and Manager Huang speaks highly of you. Having more friends is never a bad thing."

Xu Zhou seemed to be deep in thought.

Although he accepted the jade slip, he did not put it away immediately. Instead, he looked at the other party and said, "The Foundation Establishment experience is not particularly precious, but it is quite rare to collect so many of it."

Fellow Daoist Cai, your politeness is probably not just for making friends, is it?

Upon hearing this, Cai Mouyuan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Fellow Daoist Xu is indeed a wise man."

He didn't beat around the bush anymore, and simply said slowly, "To be honest, the Chamber of Commerce does intend to make friends with fellow Daoists."

Alchemists like you, fellow Daoist, are rare finds no matter where you are.

Xu Zhou did not respond.

Cai Mouyuan slowly said, "The Golden Flame Sect is good, but it is only located in a remote corner. With Fellow Daoist Xu's alchemy skills, if you have the opportunity to establish your foundation in the future, you may be able to go and see a bigger place."

He stared at Xu Zhou: "If you ever have other ideas, you are welcome to visit the Thousand Veins Chamber of Commerce."

While the Chamber of Commerce may not be as powerful as a sect in other aspects, it likely surpasses it in terms of resources and vision.

Xu Zhou remained expressionless and did not agree.

But he did not refuse either.

He had lived in the Golden Flame Gate for many years. Although he disapproved of some of the things there, he had developed some feelings for it over time.

However, there is one thing he really needs to start facing.

He is getting older.

If an old and frail man keeps to himself, no one will pay him any attention.

However, if he were to suddenly defy fate and successfully establish his foundation, it would likely immediately attract the attention of the sect, which would certainly not be a good thing.

If necessary, Xu Zhou should indeed consider moving to a different place and living under a different identity.

For him, the Chamber of Commerce, a force detached from the sect, was also a viable way out.

After a while.

Xu Zhou finally put the jade slip away.

"I will remember Fellow Daoist Cai's kindness."

Seeing this, Cai Mouyuan's smile deepened, but he didn't say anything more.

Seeing that the matter was settled for the day, he stood up, intending to take his leave.

Xu Zhou glanced at his two fellow disciples on the other side and found that they still hadn't found anything.

He couldn't help but reach out and call out to Cai Mouyuan.

"Fellow Daoist Cai, your secret technique for concealing your presence is incredibly profound. Would the Merchant Guild be willing to sell the corresponding manual?"

Cai Mouyuan was slightly taken aback.

But he immediately laughed and said, "This secret technique isn't something just anyone in the Chamber of Commerce can learn."

However, if you do join the Chamber of Commerce in the future, that will be a different story.

...

Xu Zhou was pleased with Cai Mouyuan's enthusiasm, but the matter still needed further consideration.

He hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, so it's a bit early to be thinking about these things.

According to records in the Buddhist scriptures, a hundred years ago, someone in the sect also achieved foundation building at the age of seventy, proving that it is not entirely impossible for an elderly person to achieve foundation building.

If you are not too old when you establish your foundation, the sect will probably not care.

Xu Zhou secretly calculated.

He is now seventy-nine years old, but the sect underestimated his bone age by six years when they measured it. To outsiders, he is only seventy-three years old.

Soon, he will be able to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. After that, it will take several more years to push his cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining, and if he wants to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, it will probably take several more years.

If everything goes smoothly, he will most likely reach Foundation Establishment before the age of eighty, as the sect expects.

Perhaps it can be barely explained?

But after thinking about it, Xu Zhou decided that he still needed to make two preparations.

On the one hand, he began to accelerate his cultivation and accumulation, hoping to establish his foundation as soon as possible.

In addition, he also needs to prepare a way out.

The Thousand Veins Chamber of Commerce is an idea, but I absolutely cannot join it under the identity of Master Xu.

It would be best to find a way to change one's identity. Others cannot detect a cultivator's exact age, so one can say that one's age is younger and not be noticed as odd.

Of course, if something is discovered, then one's actions will only make things worse and could cause further trouble.

Therefore, we still have to take it one step at a time.

After returning to his sect, Xu Zhou immediately began his secluded cultivation.

Four months later, he broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Previously, with the help of the pseudo-Heaven-Mending Pill, Xu Zhou's aptitude was already comparable to that of a mid-grade spiritual root. Although the limit of the pseudo-Heaven-Mending Pill seemed to have been reached, it still increased his cultivation speed by 30-40%.

In addition, he had been stuck at the eighth level of Qi Refining for six years, and finally broke through the final bottleneck through his final closed-door cultivation.

Upon reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, Xu Zhou immediately sensed his own abilities.

He did not notice any special changes in his body; it seemed that only his total magical power had increased by a few percent, and there was no difference from before.

But upon closer inspection, it seems different.

He felt that his internal energy and magical power seemed to be interconnected.

Xu Zhou had a vague feeling that if he tried to compress his magic power and blood energy, the two would eventually merge completely, resulting in a series of changes.

But when his thoughts drifted to this point, his body trembled involuntarily, as if he both longed for and feared it.

"Is this the beginning of Foundation Building?"

Xu Zhou seemed to be deep in thought.

He has just broken through to the next level and is still some distance from the peak of Qi Refining. He has not yet collected all the Foundation Establishment spiritual items, so he naturally will not actually try it.

Xu Zhou spent half a month stabilizing his cultivation before emerging from seclusion.

If he remembered correctly, it was time for Zhang Wufeng to explore the secret realm again.

If the other party really finds the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, I will also have to revise my future plans accordingly.

After making some inquiries, Xu Zhou learned that Zhang Wufeng was still unlucky this time and failed to find the Heavenly Spirit Fruit.

He felt a pang of regret and was about to return home to continue his cultivation when he suddenly heard another piece of news.

Upon learning of this, even someone as composed as him couldn't help but be stunned and exclaim in surprise.

"How is that possible!?"

"Ouyang Ming has achieved Foundation Establishment!"