The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Changqing looked at the little girl who was about to stab her a second time and reached out to grasp her wrist.

That's enough.

Xu Xiyue trembled, and the dagger in her hand clattered to the ground. She deflated like a punctured balloon, collapsing and only able to gasp for breath.

The fierceness she felt just moments before faded, and fear and nausea regained control, but she ultimately didn't cry out again.

Xu Changqing bent down, picked up the dagger, wiped the blood on the black water rat's still relatively intact fur, and then tucked it back into Xu Xiyue's waist.

"Remember this feeling."

He didn't say much to comfort her, but turned to look at Xu Xining, who was still trying to pull his leg out of the mud puddle.

The kid was covered in black mud, with two rotten reeds hanging from his hair, looking exactly like a mud monkey that had just crawled out of a vat of soy sauce.

"Chieftain, hehe, how was that 'Hungry Tiger Pounces on its Prey' move just now?"

Xu Changqing ignored him, squatted down, and took out a small skinning knife from his storage bag.

"Look closely, this monster is a treasure trove. When you go out to train in the future, you'll need to learn how to clean up after you've killed it."

He sliced ​​open the black water rat's belly with the tip of his knife, and with a flick of his wrist, a complete rat skin was peeled off.

"Although this hide is of low grade, it can still be sold for some spirit stones at the market."

The three children watched as the clan chief skillfully disemboweled someone, the stench of blood mixed with the stench of internal organs assaulting their senses.

Xu Xining had been so engrossed in the killing that he hadn't felt anything, but now that he had calmed down and was looking at the red and white stuff, his throat churned, and he almost vomited while covering his mouth.

For the next month, the three promising young men of the Xu family, whose names begin with the character "hope," completely lost their peaceful lives.

Every day before dawn, Xu Changqing would send them to various corners on the outskirts of the Great Swamp.

From the black water rats in the mudflats to the "green scale snakes" hiding in the reed marshes, and then to the hard-shelled "iron crabs" in the shallow waters.

The opponents Xu Changqing found for them were all troublesome types who, while not fatal, would definitely leave them scratching their heads.

Xu Xining's body was constantly covered in wounds; before the old scabs had fallen off, new wounds would appear.

But his fighting spirit only shone brighter with each practice, and through repeated falls, he actually developed a certain "slippery and unreserved" quality in his "Walking Through the Forest" routine.

Xu Xiwen remained a man of few words, but he always managed to deliver the most insidious blow the moment his elder brother drew the attention of others.

As for Xu Xiyue, although she still had to wash her hands for a long time after each fight, she was already able to keep her hands steady and her eyes open when facing the attacking monsters, and she could stab wherever she needed to.

Thirty-five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Late at night that day.

Xu Changqing sat cross-legged on a futon in his study, his body surging with spiritual energy as he completed the final cycle of spiritual circulation.

A loud buzzing sound suddenly came from the depths of his consciousness.

The sound was clearer than ever before.

The mirror trembled, and the mist that had accumulated for thirty-five days finally slowly dissipated.

Xu Changqing was startled, feeling both excited and nervous.

The Heavenly Mirror shone brightly, and the thick fog that had been covering its surface completely dissipated.

Lines of ancient, golden characters slowly emerged.

[The simulation is complete]

[Details of the opportunity: One hundred and twenty miles east, beneath the ice of a backwater bay, buried deep in the silt, lies a broken jade bottle. This bottle can autonomously absorb the wandering spiritual energy of heaven and earth, condensing a drop of jade liquid every five days.]

[The jade liquid is pure and immaculate, without any risk of poison. Consuming it can enhance cultivation and refine spiritual power, making it more substantial and condensed.]

Xu Changqing's eyes lit up.

There is no risk of erysipelas!

Only those who have truly embarked on the arduous path of spiritual practice can understand the weight of these words.

Even the highest quality pills on the market can cause the body to accumulate toxins if consumed in excess.

Therefore, it is necessary to stop every now and then and spend a lot of time and effort to resolve the issue.

If one is greedy for quick success and eats too much, the meridians will be burned by the fire poison, and the foundation will be destroyed.

But this jade liquid is pure and spotless.

Although five days for one drop may seem slow, it has the advantage of being long-lasting and free.

That's 72 drops a year, and you don't even need to spend extra time refining it.

"One hundred and twenty li..."

Xu Changqing mentally calculated the distance he would travel.

This distance isn't short; if one were to fly using a magical artifact, the round trip would take less than two hours.

"A long night can lead to many unforeseen events."

Xu Changqing didn't hesitate any longer and got up to pack.

He changed into a gray robe, wore a bamboo hat to cover his face, and carried two storage bags.

One of them was the one who robbed Liu Sandao last time.

Xu Changqing pushed open the window, and in a flash, he transformed into a black shadow and disappeared into the night.

……

One hundred and twenty miles of waterway is not too far for Xu Changqing, who is now at the fifth level of Qi Refining, when traveling at full speed.

But the further east you go, the heavier the moisture in this great swamp becomes, and the colder the wind feels on your face.

The small boat beneath our feet skimmed along the ice, making a soft "swish" sound.

Xu Changqing extended his divine sense, alerting himself to the movements around him.

The journey was desolate; apart from a few startled crows taking flight, not a single aquatic creature was in sight.

About an hour later.

A huge backwater appeared ahead.

The terrain here is low-lying, and the banks are covered with withered, crooked willow trees. The willow branches hang down on the ice, looking like the hair of a hanged ghost.

Because of the slow water flow, the ice here is exceptionally thick, covered with a thick layer of snow.

"This is it."

Following the guidance of the Heavenly Mirror, Xu Changqing stopped opposite the thickest old willow tree.

He put away his magical artifact and landed on the ice.

The ice beneath my feet made a crisp "crunch".

Xu Changqing squatted down and swept away the snow with his hands.

The ice was murky, and underneath was a patch of dark mud, making it impossible to see anything.

"It's buried quite deep."

Xu Changqing didn't hesitate either, taking out an ice pick from his storage bag.

As the clan chief, to come to this desolate wilderness in the middle of the night to chisel ice and dig mud—if word got out, people would probably laugh their heads off.

But in order to achieve immortality, one must do anything, even dig mud or clean latrines.

"Ding! Clang!"

In the quiet night, the sound of chiseling ice sounded particularly crisp.

Xu Changqing controlled his strength, not daring to use too much spiritual power, for fear of causing too much trouble.

Fifteen minutes later.

A three-foot square ice hole was carved out.

A foul stench of rotting mud wafted up from the hole.

Xu Changqing didn't mind the dirt, so he put on a water-repelling talisman, leaped into the water, and jumped down.

The icy, bone-chilling mud and water instantly enveloped him.

The mud below is extremely deep and soft; if you step in, your entire leg will sink in.

Xu Changqing held his breath, opened his mind to the fullest, and probed little by little in the murky mud soup.

Deep in the silt.

Something hard touched his finger.

Xu Changqing was overjoyed. He formed his five fingers into claws and suddenly lifted them upwards.