I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

The reason given for the refusal was rather perfunctory, simply stating that Xu Zhou's skill level was not up to par and he was not qualified.

This excuse is somewhat similar to the outcome of his first application for inheritance.

When Xu Zhou learned of this, he was already somewhat prepared.

Thinking about it carefully, it's not hard to understand. He was so stingy with the first-tier inheritance, only giving it to him when he was over seventy. How could he possibly give him the second-tier inheritance so easily?

I just don't know when the sect plans to pass on the inheritance to me this time.

Fortunately, at least the second-tier medicine manual was provided.

As long as there's something to learn, Xu Zhou doesn't consider his time a waste.

First, thoroughly study the classics of medicine to lay a solid foundation for the second stage of alchemy; everything else will be easier.

...

Not long after, Xu Zhou moved out of Baicaotang.

The chosen sacred site was the Thousand Trees Forest.

He had lived here for several years and was quite familiar with the place. Moreover, Song Rou also lived here, so they could sometimes look after each other.

The drawback of Thousand Wood Forest is that its spiritual energy concentration is not very high, and it is not among the top spiritual lands.

However, Xu Zhou does not plan to go into seclusion for cultivation for the time being. The automatic operation of the Longevity Technique will not affect the surrounding spiritual energy, and the surrounding wood elemental spiritual energy is very suitable for his technique, so he can still accept it.

After settling in, he immediately began studying the medical texts in his hands.

Second-tier classics were no longer written on paper and pen, but were instead recorded on jade slips.

The text recorded therein was almost identical to all the medical texts he had read before.

However, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, his learning speed increased significantly.

The medicine classic that originally took him about ten years to read can now be fully mastered by Xu Zhou in just a few months, according to his rough estimate.

"After all, it's just knowledge that needs to be memorized by rote, requiring almost no thinking; you can just memorize it without thinking."

Xu Zhou settled down and began to study.

Soon, he also noticed the difference between the second-tier medicine manual and the first-tier medicine manual.

He originally thought that the so-called second-tier medicine manual was just an extension of the first-tier medicine manual, introducing more high-level medicinal materials.

Previously, I wondered if there were really so many high-level medicinal herbs that they needed to be described with the same amount of ink as low-level medicinal herbs.

But once he actually opened it, he discovered it was completely different.

The second-tier medicine manual not only records the medicinal properties, year, and place of origin in detail, but also provides detailed annotations on the subtle changes in medicinal properties under different spiritual vein environments.

In addition, it includes a large number of ancient medicines that have long since disappeared and have not reappeared for hundreds of years, and marks the substitutes with similar medicinal properties.

Xu Zhou became increasingly silent as he looked at the screen.

He understood why the Materia Medica devoted so much space to describing these ancient medicines.

Foundation Establishment cultivators have a lifespan far exceeding that of Qi Refining cultivators, at least four Jiazi (60 years). Some cultivators who practice health cultivation techniques and take longevity-extending elixirs can even live to nearly three hundred.

Such a long period of time allows one to personally control the evolution of elixirs.

If a cultivator were to accidentally discover an ancient ruin and find a spiritual seed that was thought to be extinct, but then waste the opportunity because they don't know how to use it, that would be a great pity.

But that wasn't all that silenced Xu Zhou.

He gradually realized that the knowledge before him could not have been compiled by one person alone.

It is a knowledge system that can only be formed by generations of alchemists constantly supplementing and revising it over hundreds or thousands of years.

"No wonder the sect is so strict about passing on its inheritance."

"Once a work is created, it will gradually become outdated over time and will need constant revision and maintenance to keep up with the times."

"If the classics on medicine have already consumed so much effort, then the alchemical tradition based on them must be even more complicated."

"After all, if the medicinal materials change, the subsequent alchemy process, pharmacological conflicts, and spiritual control of the fire will also need to be changed. The amount of energy required to correct all these details is enormous."

Xu Zhou was also horrified by what he saw.

At one point, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Xu Zhou took out the array inheritance from his storage bag and glanced at it again.

He had vaguely sensed something was off before.

This array inheritance is said to be of the second rank, but if one only learns the array theory on it, the improvement speed will always be slower, and one will often go astray.

It now seems that Zheng Feng probably discovered this inheritance from the ruins of some ancient cultivator.

As time goes by, some of the knowledge passed down has become outdated.

Learning theories on one's own without guidance from a master teacher can easily lead one astray.

He sighed and carefully put the array jade slip away again.

Although the traditions are somewhat outdated, they have accumulated old theories of array formations. Once my array formation skills improve, I will surely gain inspiration from them.

However, at least for now, it's better for me to refrain from learning the array formation knowledge mentioned above.

...

Xu Zhou finished reading the medicine classic in just two and a half months.

After memorizing the last paragraph, Xu Zhou exited the deep learning mode and was momentarily stunned.

They learned too fast.

He was not quite used to this learning speed.

In less than three months, the learning resources at my disposal were exhausted.

"At this rate, I'm afraid my lifespan will pass even faster than before."

When practicing Qi cultivation, he always felt that there wasn't enough time and that he learned things very slowly.

Unexpectedly, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, there were not many things left for him to study in the long term.

"We need to find a way to supplement the learning sources."

Although he had already established his foundation, Xu Zhou did not feel that his path to immortality had ended there, and still had some thoughts about forming his core in the future.

He also knew that his success in establishing his foundation this time was not only due to his longevity, but also to his ample accumulation of resources over a period of sixty-five years.

If one wishes to form a core in the future, a vast amount of resources will naturally be required.

Thus, even if the requirements for lifespan are not high for Core Formation, he still has to try his best to stop the loss of lifespan and live a few more years.

"But how do we find learning resources?"

"Going back to the Scripture Pavilion to find basic texts is no longer of much use. Before I reached Foundation Establishment, I had already read most of the texts there, and I knew almost all the basics of the various arts of cultivation."

"If we go again now and study all the classics there, it will take no more than a year."

"Unless I find a true second-order inheritance, I will find it difficult to immerse myself in learning for long."

He took a letter out of his storage bag.

This letter was sent by the Qianmai Chamber of Commerce in Hongyefang Market.

While studying the medicine classics, he also took the time to write a letter, wanting to inquire whether the Chamber of Commerce had a second-tier inheritance.

The reply arrived a few days ago. In the letter, Manager Huang from the Chamber of Commerce first congratulated him on successfully establishing his foundation, and then informed him of the information about the second-tier inheritance.

The other party stated frankly that even second-tier inheritances are extremely valuable, even more valuable than cultivation techniques and secret arts.

Given his authority within the Chamber of Commerce, he cannot provide accurate information at this time; he needs to consult with the Chamber's elders to confirm the correct information.

However, Manager Huang also told Xu Zhou to be mentally prepared.

The inheritance of such second-tier skills is fine if it doesn't involve array formations, pills, talismans, or artifacts; however, if it does involve these aspects, the value of the inheritance will far exceed imagination. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to afford it.

After reading the letter, Xu Zhou felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

As a highly mobile chamber of commerce, it probably possesses even more resources than the Golden Flame Gate.

However, when it comes to the lineage they possess, sects that have existed for a longer time and are more stable probably have an edge.

"We need to discuss this with our fellow disciples."

Xu Zhou prepared for a moment and decided to wait until Song Rou had time to ask her.

When he first moved to Qianmulin, the other party happened to be away on business. Now, judging by the time, they should be back by now.

...

About two weeks later, Xu Zhou went to Song Rou's residence.

When the two met again, the atmosphere was different from usual.

It's like meeting friends you've known for years, going through hardships, thinking you'd part ways someday, only to meet again.

The two looked at each other for a moment and couldn't help but smile.

"Please have a seat, senior brother."

While entertaining the guests, Song Rou talked about her own experiences on the road: "A few days ago, I went out with my fellow disciples to capture monsters, which broadened my horizons quite a bit."

"A demonic beast?" Xu Zhou was also curious.

"The demonic beasts in the desolate ancient mountains to the south," Song Rou explained, "occasionally some demonic beasts that can threaten cultivators will appear there, and they need to be cleared out from time to time."

My reason for going there was to investigate the spiritual herbs in the Desolate Ancient Mountains. The sect records mention that fifty years ago, a patch of withered spirit mushrooms grew there, and it's almost harvest time now.

She briefly recounted a few interesting moments from her trip, which Xu Zhou found quite amusing.

After chatting for a while, Xu Zhou also revealed the real reason for his trip.

"Senior brother wants to know how to apply for a second-tier inheritance?"

Upon hearing this, Song Rou couldn't help but reveal an expression of "I knew it": "That does match my understanding of my senior brother."

"I do care about these things," Xu Zhou smiled slightly, not denying it.

After a moment of contemplation, Song Rou finally spoke, "Senior brother must have already realized that second-tier inheritances are precious and cannot be easily obtained with spirit stones alone."

She paused briefly.

"If Senior Brother wants to inherit the second-tier skills, he still needs to find someone influential in the Hundred Herbs Hall."

Nowadays, there are actually very few people in Baicaotang who truly master the Daoist alchemy tradition.

"If Senior Brother could meet Elder Gu and get his approval, this matter would be much easier."