A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Although we don't know how the demon race will enter the Five Elements Realm, judging from the news from all sides, this matter should be a done deal."

Faced with Zhou Ping's questioning, Fang Miao was also a little confused for a moment, but the unusual movements of the demon race were real, and this was almost a consensus among the high-level members of the major sects.

A moment of silence fell over the transmission room of the Daowen Pavilion. Zhou Ping frowned slightly, weighing every word Fang Miao had said. He felt that the joy he had felt when he broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining had vanished, replaced by a sense of unease and restlessness.

Faced with this situation, even a sect elite like Fang Miao, who was at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, was at a loss for what to do. How much more so for Zhou Ping, a newly promoted late-stage cultivator who had just stepped into the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.

Not long after, the two chatted for a few minutes, and then Zhou Ping bid farewell to Fang Miao with a heavy heart and returned to his residence alone.

"With a pseudo-spiritual root, to be able to cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining suggests that his potential has already been exhausted..."

Fang Miao looked up at the empty hall and sighed softly. Wasn't it also time for him to make a decision?

This Five Elements Realm Trial is likely to be a near-death experience for him, a cultivator at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage. He has no energy left to worry about other people's affairs.

……

Inside the residence, Zhou Ping took out all his previous gains from his storage bag and laid them out on the table, filling it to the brim.

After the seclusion ended, the remaining two types of pills were taken out together, and there were about seven or eight bottles left.

After returning from the Asking Pavilion, he began to plan his next steps.

Now that there are no more pills that can quickly improve one's cultivation level, Zhou Ping's cultivation has returned to its previous slow pace, and this phenomenon has become even more obvious as his realm has improved.

This is the limitation imposed by his innate conditions; his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude made cultivation increasingly difficult for him.

"Since I can't make a breakthrough in cultivation in a short time, I should go back to my previous meditation routine and make another trip to Jiyun City soon. There should be enough time."

After Zhou Ping had organized all the various artifacts and pills, he put them away again and made a decision in his heart.

He currently lacks a suitable magical artifact, so Zhou Ping plans to quietly dispose of his supplies in Jiyun City and also visit markets like Wanbaoge to see if he can find a few magical artifacts he likes for future use.

After all, his body refinement and Qingyuan Gong have both reached a new level. The two mid-grade magic weapons in his hands, the Qinglin Sword and the Crimson Fire Hammer, are now somewhat useless to him. Their power is even less than the destructive power he can cause with his bare hands.

As for the top-grade magic weapon "Golden Crow Hairpin", he still finds it somewhat difficult to use it now, as it requires a large amount of magic power. He cannot easily use it when facing enemies, so he can only save it as a trump card. Moreover, he must be able to severely injure the opponent with one strike, otherwise, with his magic power greatly depleted, he will only have one option left: to flee in panic.

As for his body-refining cultivation, Zhou Ping did not want to reveal it to others easily, intending to save it as a last resort. This would not only have the effect of catching the opponent off guard, but also greatly increase the chance of killing them with a single blow when they were in a panic.

Three days later,

Just as Zhou Ping was about to set off for Jiyun City, a shocking piece of news quickly spread throughout the entire Qinglian Xuanzong sect.

The sect leader of Qinglian Sect, Nan Lingzi, announced to the entire sect that the sect would use its accumulated resources of hundreds of years as rewards to reward disciples who bravely participated in the Five Elements Realm Trials, in order to encourage all disciples to dedicate themselves to the sect and bravely venture into the Five Elements Realm.

All Qinglian disciples who participate in this Five Elements Realm Trial will receive a "Rebirth Lotus Seed" as a reward from the sect after the trial ends. Regardless of contribution or success or failure, as long as they can leave the Five Elements Realm unscathed, they will be rewarded.

The moment this edict was issued, it caused a huge uproar among the Qi Refining stage disciples of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect. Almost everyone was shocked by the sect's move.

As a unique treasure of the Azure Lotus Sect, the "Resurrection Lotus Seed" is so attractive to lower-level disciples that its effects and functions are no less than those of the Foundation Establishment Pill, a holy medicine for breaking through realms. In fact, in the eyes of some disciples, it is even better.

After all, besides also having the effect of increasing the chance of Foundation Establishment, the "Resurrected Lotus Seed" can also exert many miraculous effects in the hands of the Qinglian disciples. The ability to increase the foundation of magic power alone is enough to make everyone envious.

Normally, an ordinary disciple might accumulate merits over decades and still not be able to exchange them for a single "Resurrection Lotus Seed" in the sect. Now, however, the sect is using it as a reward for participating in the Five Elements Realm Trial, which makes all the disciples feel as if they are in a dream.

The fact that "Resurrected Lotus Seeds" can be called the foundation of the sect is not just empty talk.

Its benefits to the Qinglian Xuanzong sect over thousands of years can be seen from the sect's unbroken lineage passed down through generations.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if Foundation Establishment Pills disappeared from the cultivation world, the Azure Lotus Profound Sect, which possesses the "Resurrection Lotus Seed," would still be able to cultivate batches of Foundation Establishment disciples for the sect, and the success rate of Foundation Establishment among its disciples would still be much higher than that of other sects.

This is the extraordinary nature of the "Resurrection Lotus Seed". Although it does not have the exaggerated success rate of Foundation Establishment Pill, it has the advantage of continuously providing the Azure Lotus Profound Sect with a stable path to advancement, so as not to cause the sect's inheritance to be cut off.

"Azure Lotus Peak..."

Zhou Ping stood outside the house, gazing at the highest peak in the ancient mountain range, and murmured to himself.

More than half of the mountain peak was shrouded in a large array, making it difficult to see its full shape.

That place is the absolute forbidden area of ​​the Azure Lotus Profound Sect, the main peak, Azure Lotus Peak, which is independent of the Seven Peaks. It is also the secluded cultivation place of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect's Nascent Soul Ancestor. Apart from that, only a few Core Formation stage elders in the sect can enter it.

It is said that at the summit of this peak is an enormous spiritual pool, which stretches across the heavens and earth like a celestial lake. Within it grows a giant lotus that reaches the heavens, which is the foundation of all the resources and inheritance of the Azure Lotus Sect. Its name is "Transformation Azure Lotus".

The "Resurrected Lotus Seeds" that all the disciples and followers longed for were born from this lotus after being nurtured for hundreds of years, making them extremely precious.

The Azure Lotus Sect has really gone all out this time, bringing out all the "Rebirth Lotus Seeds" that the "Transformation Azure Lotus" has nurtured over hundreds of years. It seems they are determined to win this Five Elements Realm Trial.

However, Zhou Ping sensed a strong stench of blood from the sect's proclamation. There was definitely something they, the disciples, didn't know, and the danger involved must have increased immeasurably.

But a great reward always attracts brave men. Within the sect, almost all the Qi Refining stage disciples who met the conditions to participate in the trial had already begun to rub their hands together, looking forward to the opening of the Five Elements Realm. This included many disciples at the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Refining stage.

This situation was unprecedented. In the past, whenever the Five Elements Realm opened, most disciples at the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Refining stage dared not participate easily. They would rather wait another twenty years until their realm broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining before they would start to consider going to the Five Elements Realm.

The sect's decree disrupted almost everyone's plans.

This naturally included Zhou Ping, whose initial hesitation was immediately dispelled by the imperial edict, prompting him to make a decision immediately.

He no longer had the slightest thought of participating; he didn't want to gamble with his life. This Five Elements Realm Trial was beyond dangerous.

Even the Azure Lotus Profound Sect, which is known for its detachment and inaction, can do this to such an extent. What about the other four sects? What about the external cultivation forces and the even more terrifying demon race?

Just thinking about it sent chills down Zhou Ping's spine. The Five Elements Ancestral Land in Yinzhou was like a gaping maw, quietly awaiting the arrival of numerous forces.

Now, Zhou Ping would rather choose to take a more cautious approach and try for a glimmer of hope twenty years from now than wade into the murky waters of the Five Elements Realm at this moment.

But fate had other plans. Not long after Zhou Ping made his decision, another message came from the Hall of Merit.

Because of this decision by the sect, the "Resurrection Lotus Seeds" accumulated over hundreds of years will be completely consumed in order to maintain the foundation and reserves of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect.

The Hall of Merit announced that after the Five Elements Realm Trial concludes, disciples will be temporarily prohibited from exchanging "Rebirth Lotus Seeds". The specific date for lifting this restriction will depend on the next time the "Transformation Green Lotus" produces its seeds.

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Ping's relaxed mood suddenly turned tense again, and he returned to his residence with a livid face.

"Will it be possible to exchange for Rebirth Lotus Seeds again when the Transformation Lotus next produces its seeds?"

Zhou Ping paced back and forth in the room, his expression shifting constantly.

Each time the Green Lotus of Transformation produces a seed, it takes hundreds of years to gestate. With such a long time, which disciple can afford to wait?

Even if we look at it optimistically, considering that some years have passed since the last time the seeds were sown, there will be at least several decades before the next sown season. That's not a short time, and not everyone can afford to wait that long.

At least, Zhou Ping couldn't afford to wait any longer. Waiting another twenty years was the limit he could bear. Unless he completely gave up on the idea of ​​Foundation Establishment, he had to seize that last glimmer of hope and ensure that he could obtain all the main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills or enough Five Elements spiritual items to exchange for "Rebirth Lotus Seeds" in the Five Elements Realm at least twenty years later.

One of the two must be accomplished in order to leave a sliver of hope for foundation building; if both are achieved, it would be even better.

But we can't always think positively; we must also prepare for the worst.

Although Zhou Ping had planned things very well, the sect's two announcements completely overturned the table, leaving no room for disciples with such wishful thinking to take advantage of the situation.

The reality is clear: this Five Elements Realm Trial is the perfect opportunity to obtain the Resurrection Lotus Seed. Anyone who participates will be guaranteed to receive it.

Otherwise, let's just give up on this idea.

After pondering for a long time, Zhou Ping could only let out a long sigh inside the room.

Come to think of it, if a sect is willing to sacrifice hundreds of years of accumulated resources to make a gamble in this Five Elements Realm Trial, how could it not understand the thoughts of its disciples?

Those sect leaders are all old monsters who have lived for hundreds of years. In terms of cunning, they are probably more cunning than all the disciples combined. How could they allow these junior disciples to steal their home right under their noses?

Left with no other choice, Zhou Ping had to make other plans. Giving up the idea of ​​Foundation Establishment was out of the question. Why had he left home at such a young age? Wasn't it to spend the rest of his life exploring the secrets of immortality?

"Now it seems that we really have to make a trip to the Five Elements Realm."

Zhou Ping thought about it for a long time, and finally had no choice but to accept reality and stop making futile struggles.

The "Reborn Lotus Seed" is unlike anything else; it is the very foundation of the Azure Lotus Mystic Sect. The sect has long since severed any possibility of it falling into the outside world.

Any disciple who obtains this spiritual item must immediately refine it into their body in front of several elders of the sect before they can leave.

Once the resurrected lotus seed is refined into the body, it belongs exclusively to that person. Even if it is taken out of the body again, it will have no effect on others, thus eliminating the possibility of trading it away.

This undoubtedly extinguished Zhou Ping's idea of ​​buying the item from someone else. After all, money can make the devil turn the millstone, and if it were really possible, he felt that someone would definitely be willing to sell the item at a high price.

After abandoning the idea of ​​buying "Resurrection Lotus Seeds," Zhou Ping also quickly put the idea of ​​acquiring the main ingredient of Foundation Building Pills out of his mind.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he dared not.

The reputation of the Foundation Building Pill is so great that any news about it will instantly attract the attention of countless people.

Among them are many high-level masters, many of whom are seeking this elixir for their direct descendants.

Within the sect, all Foundation Establishment Pills and spiritual herbs obtained by disciples in the Five Elements Realm will be collected, converted into finished Foundation Establishment Pills, and rewarded to the disciples to prevent resources from flowing out.

Outside of sects, every appearance of the Foundation Establishment Pill causes considerable bloodshed.

Whether at auction houses or large trade fairs.

Anyone who manages to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill will inevitably be coveted by countless others. Whether they can safely consume it and find a quiet place to cultivate and break through to a higher realm is another matter entirely.

Many people will even lose their lives because of this, and the Foundation Establishment Pill will eventually fall into the hands of the Tribulation Cultivator, becoming a useless tool for others.

These are all real events, and Zhou Ping naturally wouldn't risk his life to deliberately invite trouble.

With the mysterious agarwood by his side, as long as he has news of the main ingredient of the Foundation Establishment Pill, he has many ways to cultivate it. There is no need to compete with others for those mature main ingredients and finished Foundation Establishment Pills. He can minimize the risks and avoid attracting the attention and suspicion of others.

Having figured all this out, Zhou Ping had no choice but to focus on improving his combat abilities, hoping to raise his strength to a higher level in the last few months and make final preparations for entering the Five Elements Realm.