Cultivation: From Servant to Revered Immortal

Chapter 111: Chapter 41: Body Refinement Fourth Layer!

After leaving Sun Ergou’s home, Zhou Xun specifically went to the town to kill the mayor.

After leaving, Zhou Xun arrived at another nearby gathering place for cultivators—Fengming Mountain, where there is a Tier One Low-Grade Spirit Vein.

Originally, the cultivators here were not welcoming to Zhou Xun’s arrival, but once Zhou Xun showed his Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation, no one dared to say a thing.

After all, the highest cultivation here was only a cultivator at the Fourth-Layer Qi Refining.

He found a secluded cliff and established a simple cave mansion, setting up his Seven-Star Array.

Afterward, Zhou Xun kept to himself, spending his days either healing or studying the Path of Array and Spirit Insects Technique.

As for other practices like the Path of Talisman, due to his injuries, it was inconvenient to practice, so he had to set them aside.

And so, three months flew by.

During this time, the mana he could use was already equivalent to a Fifth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator. On this day, Zhou Xun was studying the Path of Array in his cave mansion.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door outside.

When Zhou Xun went out to check, it turned out to be another Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator of this place, an elder in his fifties with graying hair.

Beside him was a twelve or thirteen-year-old pretty girl; judging by her spiritual power, she was only at the First Layer Qi Refining.

”Ah, Daoist Hu, what brings you here?” Zhou Xun said indifferently.

Naturally, Zhou Xun had no intention of associating with these low-tier cultivators; he aimed only to wait for half a year and then absorb the Spirit Medicine Essence to restore his foundational cultivation and leave.

”Our triennial exchange meeting at Fengming Mountain is starting tomorrow. I came to notify you, fellow Daoist!” The elder spoke, ignoring Zhou Xun’s coldness.

After all, he was merely a middle-stage cultivator on a declining path, while the young man before him still had the potential to advance further; he dared not offend him.

”Exchange meeting?” Zhou Xun asked, puzzled.

”Indeed, every three years, we host an exchange meeting at Fengming Mountain, where fellow Daoists from thousands of miles around will gather here for trade and exchange!” The elder explained with a smile.

”Understood, I’ll come and take a look tomorrow!” Zhou Xun nodded.

A triennial exchange meeting, with him currently showing the cultivation of a Fourth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator, would indeed be unreasonable if he were not interested.

”Then we await your esteemed presence!” The elder then took his leave.

The next day, Zhou Xun arrived at the exchange meeting place, at the summit of a peak in Fengming Mountain.

There was a platform measuring several tens of feet wide.

By the time Zhou Xun arrived, more than forty people had already gathered on the platform.

These were presumed to be loose cultivators from within thousands of miles around.

Among these people, apart from the elder surnamed Hu, there were two other Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

One was a beautiful woman with striking looks at the Fourth-Layer Qi Refining.

The other was a burly man with a Fifth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation, known to have the highest cultivation in this region, and he was loudly chatting and laughing with the beautiful woman.

”This is Daoist Shan Xionghai, who recently joined us at Fengming Mountain as a middle-stage cultivator!” The elder enthusiastically introduced.

”Daoist Shan is so young, and already a Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator—truly enviable!” exclaimed the beautiful woman, her eyes gleaming as Zhou Xun walked in.

The man snorted coldly in dissatisfaction upon seeing this.

”You flatter me!” Zhou Xun replied indifferently and immediately found a place to sit, then asked the elder:

”Daoist Hu, when does the exchange meeting start?”

”Some fellow Daoists have yet to arrive; it will be about an hour!”

Zhou Xun nodded and closed his eyes, nourishing his spirit.

Soon, an hour passed, and another dozen people joined on the platform.

”Ahem—” The elder surnamed Hu stood up and cleared his throat, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

”I see most folks are here, so let’s begin!”

”At this exchange meeting, each fellow Daoist may show the treasures they wish to exchange!”

”I will lead by example!” The elder said, patting his storage bag and took out twelve Low-Grade Talismans.

”Various types of Low-Grade Attack Talismans, thirty Spirit Essence apiece; discounts available for bulk purchase!”

This price was much higher than that at Red Leaf Square, where regular shops sell four for one Spirit Stone, equaling twenty-five Spirit Essence per talisman, and on the black market, you can buy five per Spirit Stone.

It was normal for loose cultivators without access to deal at higher prices.

Soon, they scrambled for the elder’s talismans, and they were quickly snatched up.

Soon, low-tier spirit grass, ores, and even demon beast materials appeared.

But Zhou Xun showed no interest in these; he was merely there as part of the event.

”Here’s half a bottle of Qi Refining Elixir left over from my early-stage days, seven pills remaining!”

When it was his turn, he produced a bottle of elixirs used by Early-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, leading a group of cultivators to scramble.

In the end, it was still taken by the elder surnamed Hu.

”My granddaughter just started cultivation, and this item suits her well. Fellow Daoists, please excuse me!” After purchasing, the elder asked for forgiveness from everyone, truly demonstrating diplomatic skill.

”Thank you, esteemed seniors, for allowing me to have this, and many thanks to Daoist Shan for his elixirs!” His granddaughter also stood up to thank them, her voice crisp and sweet.

After all, half of the exchange meeting had passed, and it was the first appearance of an elixir. For these loose cultivators, if they were to obtain elixirs, they’d consume them early rather than offering them for exchange.

Following this, the exchange meeting continued.

”I have a Blazing Stone here, exchange for one Spirit Stone!” At this time, a young cultivator in short clothes took out a crimson stone, the size of an adult’s skull.

The Blazing Stone is a Tier One Low-Grade ore, aiding the cultivation of Fire Attribute Cultivators.

Upon seeing it, many were tempted.

Zhou Xun casually glanced, then his eyes suddenly sharpened; this Blazing Stone seemed suspiciously large, and its surface’s Power of Fire Element was excessively abundant.

Furthermore, there was a faint presence of Power of Cold Essence mixed in, albeit extremely weak, only detectable by someone with Foundation Establishment Stage Divine Sense.

He leisurely spoke:

”I’ll take it!”

At the same time, he took out a Spirit Stone and tossed it to the young man.

The crowd, seeing Zhou Xun make a move, quickly held their peace.

Afterward, no further intriguing treasures appeared for Zhou Xun.

...

Back at the cave mansion, Zhou Xun eagerly retrieved the Blazing Stone.

Carefully examining it, he took out the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade and began slicing the Blazing Stone.

One slice after another, the Blazing Stone Monument was peeled layer by layer.

Once the Blazing Stone was reduced to the size of an adult’s fist, it revealed a translucent crystal of red and white.

Interestingly, this crystal contained both Power of Fire Element and Power of Cold Essence.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun slightly smiled:

”As I suspected, it’s indeed Frost Crystal!”

Frost Crystal is a rare Tier Two High-Grade Artifact Refining Material, immensely valuable, worth over three thousand Spirit Stones per ounce.

And this piece in Zhou Xun’s hand weighed seven ounces six coins, valued at over twenty thousand Spirit Stones!

More importantly, this Frost Crystal is an indispensable treasure for cultivating the Hundred Veins Body Refining Technique’s Fourth Layer.

”Once my foundation recovers, I can seize the opportunity to advance to Body Refining Fourth Layer!”

Zhou Xun joyfully stored it in his storage bag.

...

Time swiftly passed, another three months went by, and Zhou Xun had been at Fengming Mountain for over half a year now.

He could finally absorb the Spirit Medicine Essence.

Zhou Xun thus took out a Tier Two Low-Grade Spirit Medicine, extracted its essence, and absorbed it into his body, successfully restoring his damaged foundation and lifespan.

Perhaps because the essence was consumed, this time his Spiritual Root did not increase.

But Zhou Xun was not worried; it only delayed reaching the Middle-Grade Spiritual Root limit by a year.

With the restoration of his foundation, his cultivation also immediately returned to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining.

To his surprise, after this ordeal, the strength of his dantian meridians actually improved significantly.

Zhou Xun suspected that this may align with the concept of recovering stronger after a setback.

With his foundational cultivation fully restored, Zhou Xun decisively left.

On this day, Zhou Xun flew into the sky as a streak of green spirit light, heading swiftly towards the direction of White Cloud Immortal City.

This scene happened to be witnessed by several loose cultivators from Fengming Mountain.

Afterwards, rumors of Foundation Establishment Cultivators practicing at Fengming Mountain began to spread.