A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Rogue Cultivator

Delicious.

"Hey hey hey..."

That idiot.

Wang Li thought to herself.

"Hey hey hey..."

That big idiot.

Xiao Chen was secretly delighted.

Chapter 14 Old Xu

Yuelu Hall is a special collection of magical artifacts, elixir-making recipes, books, and related secret techniques from Huangfeng Valley.

It also provides various auxiliary tools for alchemy and weapon crafting, as well as some commonly used raw materials.

As one of the sect's key locations, this place is heavily defended, and there are rumors that a Core Formation cultivator is stationed here, but it is unknown whether this is true or not.

If one does not have the Foundation Establishment stage level, one must have a cultivator with Foundation Establishment stage or above as a guarantor to enter.

Wang Li had obtained the guarantor's token from Uncle Chen a long time ago, so he wouldn't normally encounter any difficulties entering or leaving this place.

Just as he approached this place and was about to step in, a light barrier suddenly appeared in front of him, and behind the light barrier were two other red-clad people whose cultivation levels he could not discern.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Li respectfully presented the token.

"Oh? Senior Brother Chen is your guarantor?"

Separated by a light barrier, the two asked questions in a formulaic manner.

Huh? Senior Brother Chen?

Upon hearing this title, Wang Li immediately felt a chill: Were these two gatekeepers Foundation Establishment stage cultivators?

He dared not be negligent in this regard:

"Exactly."

Just kidding. If he makes a mistake and displeases his two senior uncles and elder brothers, they might label him a spy and then casually send him flying with a small fireball. That would be truly unjust.

"You're a member of the Chen family? That's not right. Aren't all members of the Chen family guaranteed by the Chen family head? Kid, you wouldn't happen to be Senior Brother Chen's personal disciple or illegitimate child, would you?"

I can understand a direct disciple, but what the heck is this about an illegitimate child?

"Reporting to my two senior uncles, Senior Uncle Chen is my mentor, and I have received much care from him."

He quickly and respectfully replied to show his respect.

"Ha! Just your guide? Alright, come in."

The two nodded and simultaneously cast a spell on the light barrier in front of them, causing the barrier to tremble and then quickly split open, creating a gap just big enough for one person to pass through.

The crack was definitely not more than ten feet wide.

This temporary passage is mostly determined by the physical condition of the person coming.

"Thank you, my two senior uncles."

"Okay, keep this jade talisman from Senior Brother Chen safe. It will still be checked every time you come here. That's the rule here."

"Of course, of course."

I was respectful and polite from beginning to end, trying my best to leave a good impression on them. Maybe we'll become regulars and see each other all the time.

"Come with me."

Although he was told to keep up, he subconsciously lagged behind by half a step.

Although he didn't know if the Chinese system was popular in this world, Wang Li still instinctively did as instructed.

After all, no matter where you are, trying to lower your own status to show respect to the other person will more or less earn you some goodwill. When the other person is comfortable, things become much easier for them.

"By the way, Junior Nephew Wang, did you bring enough spirit stones?"

As they walked, one of them suddenly asked this question.

What do you mean?

Is this a case of murder and robbery?

Wait, wait, wait, is it really that serious?

"My two senior uncles, to be honest, after satisfying my daily needs for talismans and pills for cultivation, I have managed to save up a few spirit stones over the past few months."

Although those in the Foundation Establishment stage are relatively wealthy, there is a limit to how rich they can be. Anyway, it's safe to say he's poor here.

"Hmph, what's the point of coming here if you don't have spirit stones? Do you know that to enter the real Yuelu Palace, you need to go through an additional teleportation array, and activating the teleportation array requires spirit stones. According to the rules, you have to pay one spirit stone first before the two of us will send you into the core area inside."

Good grief, is this a deliberate setup to create a teleportation array and then charge an entrance fee? Or is this place genuinely incredibly important?

"Hey Lao Xia, forget it. It's Wang's first time here today, so let's just waive the fee for him this time."

One person plays the good cop, and the other plays the bad cop.

Wonderful.

This first impression was... fantastic.

"Thank you, my two senior uncles! Thank you, my two senior uncles!"

Wang Li decisively adopted a shrewd and mercenary demeanor, as if he had never seen much of the world and had gotten a good deal.

"Nephew Wang, there's no need for that..."

Though they said these things, the subtle changes in their expressions revealed their smugness and satisfaction:

"Oh, this is just a small token of our appreciation as elders, you don't need to take it to heart."

I don't believe you for a second!

Regardless of whether the two responded in this way because of his previous submissiveness, or were indirectly trying to curry favor with Uncle Chen, or whether it was just a casual small investment to do someone a favor and build good relationships.

At least, the initial impressions they've made of each other are pretty good.

"Go."

As they spoke, the spirit stones embedded in the magic array flashed, and Wang Li felt a dizzying sensation as the surrounding scenery quickly blurred and then became clear again.

When he came to his senses, he found himself in an unfamiliar hall, with a magic circle beneath his feet that was exactly the same as the teleportation array from before.

"I was careless. I completely forgot that teleportation arrays can cause this kind of discomfort."

He was secretly awakened.

Furthermore, if even short-distance teleportation causes discomfort, what kind of sense of temporal and spatial displacement would occur during ultra-long-distance teleportation?

It should be incredibly powerful, right?

"It seems I need to pay more attention to this aspect in the future, otherwise, what a tragic thing it would be if I died during teleportation!"

The hall was now completely empty.

It was quite deserted, like a haunted house.

"That's true. Given that few Qi Refining cultivators can freely enter and leave this place, it's normal for there to be few people around. After all, Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect aren't exactly rare."

"On the other hand, those who can endure such loneliness and stay here must be people of great perseverance and strong will. It is precisely because these predecessors and masters are willing to serve as the foundation that my Yellow Maple Valley has been able to be passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years."

There are three passageways connecting the hall. Two of them are labeled "artifact" and "elixir" respectively. After glancing at them, Wang Li walked directly into the passageway that represented the elixir.

After a dozen or so steps, a turn in the road revealed a new house at the end of the road.

At the entrance of the house, there was a table with an old man sitting on it.

And the old man was looking at him with a smile.

A quick scan with divine sense revealed nothing.

I understand, at least the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, before Wang Li could speak, the old man chuckled and said:

"You're quite something, kid. You dare to speak ill of your elders in the sect. You've got some nerve."

Therefore, what was said earlier was overheard.

"This junior greets my senior master, and hopes for your understanding. I am simply expressing my gratitude for the many respected senior masters in Huangfeng Valley who quietly dedicate themselves to their work!"

He had a bitter look on his face.

"Stop calling me 'Senior Uncle' all the time, just call me Elder Xu, or Uncle Xu; cough cough, do you really think I'm some kind of... you know?"

The old man looked at Wang Li with curiosity in his eyes.

"My nephew's words come from the bottom of his heart!"

They were practically ready to lay their hearts out to each other.

"Not bad, not bad..."

How come I never realized I was so great before?

"You really understand our struggles, kid. We haven't seen a living person in ages, and when we do, they're all those tired, lifeless faces. They're nothing like the sensible young newcomers!"

He stroked his beard, admiring himself in solitude, before finally remembering Wang Li beside him:

"Tell me, what brings you here?"

"Uncle Xu..."

This form of address is more intimate:

"My nephew has come here to find some recipes and classic texts related to elixirs, and to study the art of alchemy. With your talent, if you want to achieve great things, you can only rely on external resources, and the art of alchemy is a shortcut."

Actually, the purpose was to find the formulas for the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Youth Preservation Pill, and incidentally, to see if they could find any other treasures by chance.

"Huh? Alchemy recipes and books? You're not a member of the family!"

The old man narrowed his eyes.

The family members would never come to this godforsaken place to look for elixirs, because everyone knows perfectly well what's going on inside.

However, he is not a member of the family, yet he possesses the cultivation level of the eleventh level of Qi Refining, and judging from his bone age, he should be quite young; therefore, he must have had some extraordinary encounter, or he has exceptional talent in cultivation. Obviously, those with good talent would only be thinking about how to study cultivation techniques and secret skills, and would not have time to come here to learn the way of alchemy.