In this way, the two of them temporarily settled down in a certain mountain cave.
They began absorbing Spirit Stones, enhancing their cultivation.
A single Spirit Stone can sustain a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in cultivation for an entire day, showing the vast amount of Spiritual Qi it contains.
After three days, the Spiritual Qi within a Spirit Stone was completely absorbed.
The Spiritual Qi was refined within the body, circulating once through the meridians, and then entered the seventh vortex, constantly settling down.
Lu Xuanji was surprised to find that the cultivation speed had increased slightly.
The Spiritual Qi contained in the Spirit Stones is purer and can be directly absorbed and converted into True Qi, while the external Spiritual Qi contains impurities and requires continuous refining to eliminate impurities before it can become True Qi.
In terms of cultivation speed, it was more than three times faster.
At Purple Sun Mountain, it would take four years to advance one layer, but absorbing Spirit Stones only takes three years.
The speed increased, but it was burning money.
Consuming one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones a year, it was too prodigal.
Lu Xuanji, with a cultivation of the Seventh Layer Qi Cultivation, only had an annual income of fifty Spirit Stones.
If not for the ten thousand Spirit Stones he had seized from the ancestors, he might not have been able to sustain such extravagance.
Feeling a bit of pain, he quickly made up his mind to continue the extravagance.
I am a wealthy person.
As for using these Spirit Stones to go to the marketplace to buy some resources to enhance cultivation, it’s better to forget it.
Buying a small amount is not very useful.
Because there is already stock in the Storage Bag,
But buying more would lead to large expenditures, easily exposing himself and possibly attracting deadly disasters.
Just enduring here is fine.
Not seeking to endure until becoming invincible, only seeking to reach the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation before coming out.
A year later, Ye Feixue encountered a bottleneck, stuck at the peak of the Fifth Layer Qi Cultivation and unable to advance to the Sixth Layer.
"This isn’t right. Isn’t it said that there are no bottlenecks for the Celestial Spirit Root before the Nascent Soul? Why did it appear just at the peak of the Fifth Layer Qi Cultivation?" Lu Xuanji sensed something was off and carefully examined Ye Feixue’s body, but soon discovered that the True Qi in Ye Feixue’s Dantian had weakened.
"The True Qi has weakened."
Lu Xuanji uneasily commented, relying only on his phone to search for answers.
[Dingdong. According to a certain book, the Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Stones is pure and does not require refining to be directly absorbed to enhance cultivation. However, due to the lack of refining, the refining of meridians is weaker, resulting in the True Qi being relatively weaker.]
[Consuming Elixirs can enhance cultivation speed but may introduce Elixir Poison into the body. Absorbing Spirit Stones can enhance cultivation speed but can make True Qi relatively weaker. Any shortcut will have consequences.]
The phone vibrated, providing an answer.
Lu Xuanji was slightly stunned, scrolling through the pages, finding the answer recorded in a certain book.
Ten thousand books were stored in the phone.
These ten thousand books, Lu Xuanji had only read a portion of, because if read one by one, even a hundred years might not be enough to finish them all.
In one of the books, it discussed the downside of absorbing Spirit Stones for cultivation, stating that the Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Stones is too pure.
As the saying goes, "Too pure water has no fish."
It’s like on Earth in past life, living in a sterile environment was not healthy. Drinking pure water every day is also not good for the body. The body needs a certain amount of bacteria and viruses in moderation to be healthy.
The external Spiritual Qi contains impurities and needs continuous refining to be absorbed. Although slower, the meridians also get refined.
There are gains and losses in everything.
"Little Xue, this is the price of taking shortcuts... but it can be remedied. By continuously honing the True Qi and using it to refine the meridians, you can break through the bottleneck in three months." Lu Xuanji gave advice and shared his opinions.
She began honing her True Qi, refining her meridians, and stopped focusing on breaking through.
Approximately three months later, the bottleneck was broken, naturally progressing to the Sixth Layer Qi Cultivation.
The time saved was nine months.
"Congratulations on reaching the Sixth Layer Qi Cultivation," said Lu Xuanji, but silently he muttered to himself.
Silly sister, your cultivation speed is too fast.
At this rate, you’ll soon catch up to or even surpass me.
"Brother, I don’t want to cultivate anymore... I want to go out and find the Lu Family Elder and the Lu Family cultivators." Ye Feixue said.
"No, we must at least cultivate to the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation. We are too weak now. Outside, we might encounter Loose Cultivators hunting us, or be surrounded by Clan cultivators. Without the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation as a foundation, there is no sense of security," Lu Xuanji said.
"But I am restless and can no longer cultivate with peace of mind."
Ye Feixue spoke with a bit of boredom.
Lu Xuanji also fell silent.
It wasn’t just Ye Feixue; even Lu Xuanji was feeling restless, unable to cultivate with peace of mind.
A Heart Demon was growing.
Closed-door cultivation presents dangers.
Many cultivators, due to prolonged closed-door cultivation, give rise to Heart Demons and die from Qi Deviation.
After a period of bitter cultivation, some cultivators end their cultivation to experience worldly training, or engage in battles, or cultivate oneself.
Haste makes waste. The more anxious one is, the more likely it is to lead to Qi Deviation.
The original plan was to cultivate bitterly for five years and reach the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
Then descend the mountain.
But now it seems, it’s not possible.
Both of them are restless, preoccupied with miscellaneous thoughts, and their Mental Realm has issues. Continuing closed-door cultivation might lead to Qi Deviation.
"Alright, we will go out. Remember to keep a low profile. Here’s the Thunder God Talisman, the Instant Teleportation Talisman, and the Vajra Talisman. Remember to take them. If you encounter an enemy you can’t defeat, escape promptly. There’s no shame in running; staying alive is more important," Lu Xuanji reminded as he handed over three Talismans before they descended the mountain.
In all, low profile is the priority.
In keeping a low profile, survival is key.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems, the best strategy is to flee.
As for cross-level battles or life-and-death struggles, it’s better to stay away from them.
Thus, the two left the Cave Mansion, heading towards the nearby towns.
Qingshui Commandery is located near a plain, where the climate is warm, sunlight is sufficient, and the land is fertile enough for people to live. Here, there are many towns where mortals live. Occasionally, Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators appear in these mortal villages and towns, purchasing some daily necessities.
In the county seat, there’s a primary Spirit Vein and some mid-Qi Cultivation cultivators serving as the County Magistrate.
Surrounding the plain are several Spiritual Mountains, distributed around Qingshui Commandery.
On these Spiritual Mountains, some are cultivation clans, and some are cultivation marketplaces, all with cultivators overseeing them.
They stand like fortresses, protecting the mortals of Qingshui Commandery from being eaten by Demon Beasts or harmed by Demon Cultivators.
Lu Family’s Purple Sun Mountain is the strongest Spiritual Mountain among these, standing firmly at the forefront of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, becoming one of the main strongholds against Beast Tides.
Lu Xuanji and Ye Feixue crossed many mortal towns, heading southward.
About a month later, they went around in many circles.
Finally, they reached the outskirts of Qingshui Commandery, where a cultivation marketplace appeared.
This cultivation marketplace is called Wu Family Marketplace.
This is a marketplace belonging to the Wu Family, a big family in Qingshui Commandery, where the highest within the clan is only the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment, but there is a Purple Mansion Cultivator in the Dan Yang Sect, making them second only to the Lu Family.
Not only in Qingshui Commandery, but they also have Spiritual Mountains and industries in nearby Yong’an Commandery, Ping’an Commandery, and others.