My path to immortality began with my posting to guard Dawancun.

Chapter 23 The weather is sunny
Half a day later,
The Secret Chamber of the Spirit Spring

Shen Changchuan sat cross-legged on the boulder, weighing the white jade token engraved with the character "elephant" in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

象，
What means?
Could it be some kind of keepsake?
Who exactly hid it in that dark cave?
Carefully recall the details of the discovery process.

Shen Changchuan fell into deep thought.

Because he noticed some noteworthy clues.

That clump of waterweed didn't seem to grow there naturally; it appeared to have been transplanted by someone.

Someone transplanted it deep into the dark cave.

A small invisibility array was set up outside to conceal everything inside.

However, it seems that it has fallen into disrepair over the years.

The array outside the dark cave failed, ultimately attracting the crocodile demon.
Shen Changchuan had already imagined the whole sequence of events that had happened.

Although he never witnessed all that had happened,
But his perfected spiritual vision technique allowed him to see more details from the traces around him.
Analyze and integrate from those details.
The reality is probably not much different from what he thought.

"Those traces were probably left about twenty years ago. Perhaps the dark hole at the bottom of the river was the work of the previous owner of this Dawan Village twenty years ago?"

Shen Changchuan secretly speculated in his heart.

He couldn't help but have this thought.

Twenty years ago, the previous ruler of Dawan Village secretly murdered a member of a collateral branch of the Shen family, and the matter was reported, which led the Shen family to send people from afar to kill him on the spot.

Dawancun changed hands from then on.

The traces of time in the dark caves at the bottom of the river.

The timing of the change of ownership of Dawancun also matches up.

"So, that Azure Origin Waterweed is a legacy from the previous small cultivation family?"

"But what is this token?"

Shen Changchuan looked at the white jade token in his hand again, his expression of doubt deepening.

He vaguely sensed that

This token seems to be even more precious than the Azure Waterweed to the person who hid the treasure in the dark cave back then!
even,
The Azure Aquatic Plants may very well be the cover for this white jade token itself!

Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment,

His gaze was fixed on the token in his hand.
The Spirit Eye Technique is cast.
Shen Changchuan then noticed more unusual details.

This token,
It appears to be forged from an unknown material, rather than genuine white jade.

and,

The spiritual energy in the air seemed to gather under the effect of the token!
It seems to have a subtle effect of gathering spiritual energy!
It's amazing!

only,
After observing for a long time,

Aside from those, Shen Changchuan couldn't figure out anything else.

"Forget it, there's no point in just speculating here."

"Unless we bring the relevant personnel over for questioning, we can't expect to glean anything from a single token."

After a while,
Shen Changchuan shook his head.
So he put it out of his mind.

"Later, we might inquire about the small cultivation family that was the previous owner of Dawan Village, and see if we can find any clues."

"As for now, let's forget about it."

"Let's refine the Azure Essence Water Grass first, don't waste time."

Thinking of this,

Shen Changchuan put the token away.

He then sat cross-legged on the boulder.
Begin meditating to calm your mind and adjust your state.

Half a day later,
Shen Changchuan felt that he had returned to his peak condition.

It's time to take Biyuan Waterweed!

Shen Changchuan then stopped delaying.

He took out the jade box containing the Biyuan waterweed from his side.
Turn it on.

The Biyuan waterweed, with its entire body resembling emerald green glass, was now shimmering with a misty blue light.

As the jade box was opened,

A vibrant, life-giving energy dissipated.

The entire secret chamber of the spiritual spring became clear and natural at this moment.

A spiritual aura lingered all around.
The air has become so fresh!

But at this time,
A pang of heartache flashed through Shen Changchuan's heart.

to be frank,
Whether this Azure Essence Water Grass is sold to powerful families of cultivators or refined into elixirs,

The benefits gained would far exceed those of Shen Changchuan's method of directly consuming and refining the substance.

But no way,

Without corresponding strength, wealth exceeding one's capacity will only bring disaster.

Let's land safely first.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Changchuan then swallowed the Biyuan Water Grass.

Once it enters the mouth,

At that moment, the aquatic plants seemed to melt into a cool liquid.

It was a sensation that made the mouth feel as if a burst of life force was exploding, and as if a cool, refreshing water source was trembling!
Shen Changchuan swallowed it in one gulp.

Establish time,
As the vibrant liquid entered his dantian, a powerful life force emanated from it, spreading outwards along the meridians in all directions.

A strange and wonderful feeling arose spontaneously.

At this moment, Shen Changchuan felt as if he were immersed in a warm liquid, returning to the feeling of being enveloped by the primordial energy of his mother's womb when he was born!

Body and mind are cleansed little by little by some cool power at this moment.

My body gradually became clear and transparent.

The soul is also being nurtured and strengthened little by little.

Shen Changchuan was immersed in the process of refining the medicinal power of the Biyuan Water.
Time passes quietly,
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Within these two weeks,

Not much has changed in the outside world.

The rainy season is not over yet.

The sky was still overcast.

The torrential rain that had been pouring down for over a month showed no signs of stopping, the rain curtain almost completely covering the sky, plunging the whole world into an incredibly damp environment.

Within Dawan Village,

With the help of the roots of those spiritual ginseng, Han Qinhu and Han Dayong quickly recovered from their injuries, and their strength seemed to have reached a new level.

The funeral arrangements for the villagers who died in the battle with the crocodile demon have all been completed.

Houses destroyed in the battle within the village.

They were all rebuilt one by one.

Apart from that, there were no other major events.

After the village affairs were settled,

The rainy season quickly brought peace and tranquility.

Nothing else went wrong.
The villagers all stayed at home.

Waiting for the long rainy season to pass,
As always.

But during these peaceful two weeks,

What no one knows is that,

Shen Changchuan, inside the secret chamber of the spiritual spring, had already undergone a subtle transformation.

"The Biyuan aquatic plant was worth it!"

Inside the secret room,

Shen Changchuan opened his eyes.
A glint of lightning flashed in his pupils in the darkness, sharp as a needle, piercing the mind!

He felt his internal magical power had surged by more than 30%, and the flow of magical power through his meridians was noticeably smoother.

Shen Changchuan's face also showed an expression of great joy.

He's reached the mid-stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining!

Yes,

After consuming Biyuan Waterweed,

After half a month of hard work, his strength has improved and he has reached the mid-stage of the fourth level of cultivation!

But this is not the most important.

Most importantly, during the process of refining the Biyuan Water Grass, the extremely pure water essence and spiritual energy within the Biyuan Water Grass worked together to cleanse Shen Changchuan's entire body!
This refinement expanded and strengthened the meridians within Shen Changchuan's body.

It also helped to expel various impurities from his body, making his body more "clear".

This,

This means that Shen Changchuan's efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy during cultivation will be improved, and his efficiency in converting it into magical power will also increase!
That is,

His qualifications have been improved to a certain extent!
Why would Shen Changchuan know this so clearly?
After refining the Azure Origin Water Grass, his cultivation aptitude improved, and his spirit and soul were also nourished and enhanced to a certain extent!
Shen Changchuan nowadays,
It has already enabled one to achieve introspection through the growth of spirit.

Through internal vision,

He sensed the changes happening within his body!

This is something that can only be achieved when one's spiritual strength reaches a certain level!
Under normal circumstances,

Only cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining can unlock the ability of inner vision.

But Shen Changchuan has done it ahead of schedule.

They also clearly saw the process of their own refinement and improvement of their qualifications.

"No wonder the value of the Azure Origin Water Grass is so astonishing, with major cultivation families offering huge sums of money to purchase it. It turns out its effects are just that powerful!"

"Not to mention that strengthening one's spirit and consciousness will be beneficial for breaking through to the Out-of-Body Realm in the future."

"Even the improvement in cultivation aptitude alone is enough to make people flock to it!"

Feeling the much smoother flow of Qi within his body, Shen Changchuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

He could feel it.
My cultivation efficiency has increased by at least one-fifth!

Don't underestimate the seemingly small improvement in efficiency of one-fifth.
The original five-day training progress could only be saved by one day.

But as time goes by,
That would be quite considerable!

For example, an improvement that would normally require a year and twelve months of arduous training.
Now it only takes about nine and a half months.

This is undoubtedly a great thing for Shen Changchuan!

"I never expected such a great harvest. I just wonder where this Azure Essence Waterweed came from, and whether it has anything to do with that white jade token."

Recalling the other white jade token obtained along with Biyuan Waterweed,
Shen Changchuan fell into deep thought.

"It seems that we need to dig as much as possible into the background of the small cultivation family that was the previous owner of Dawan Village."

"Hopefully we can find some clues."

Such a rare and precious creature as Biyuan aquatic plant is clearly not something that a small waterway like the Dawan River could produce.

It must have a different origin.

The token with the character "象" (elephant) on it may be related to its origin.

Perhaps another great fortune is hidden here!
However, he only pondered for a moment.

Shen Changchuan then withdrew his thought.

Searching for news from twenty years ago—that's a matter for later.

Right now, the most important thing for him is to stabilize his own cultivation level.

Shen Changchuan then closed his eyes again.

He continued his meditation and cultivation, circulating the Elephant Mountain Qi Gathering Technique.
To consolidate his newly broken-through Qi Refining Stage 4 mid-stage cultivation realm.

At the same time,

Considering that it only took two or three months for him to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining last time,
Worried that his cultivation was not stable enough, Shen Changchuan took out two spirit stones to cultivate.

These were two of the five spirit stones that Shen Shiying had compensated him with.

Using spirit stones for cultivation is far too extravagant for Shen Changchuan, who is currently penniless.

But there is nothing we can do.

Spirit stones are ultimately external objects.
In contrast,

It's best to stabilize one's own cultivation level as much as possible.

time flies,
It passed by in a flash.

Several more days passed,

Shen Changchuan's cultivation at the mid-stage of the fourth level of Qi Induction has been completely stabilized.

Shen Changchuan then stopped his secluded cultivation that had lasted for more than half a month.

Although the feeling of improving my strength is quite good
But he continued his seclusion and arduous practice.

It left him feeling somewhat exhausted.

Shen Changchuan then decided to end his seclusion.
He stepped out of the secret chamber of the spiritual spring.
I'm getting ready to go outside and relax for a bit.

When Shen Changchuan walked out of the passage...
Looking up, I saw the bright sunshine outside.

The dark clouds that had shrouded the entire sky for more than a month, along with the continuous wind and rain that swept across the land, have completely disappeared.

The rainy season is over.

The sky has cleared up!
Shen Changchuan looked up.
Under the golden sunlight,

The seedlings of spirit grain in the spiritual fields nestled in the mountains have begun to sprout.

The breeze blows,

Rolling up waves of green,
Occasionally, melodious birdsong could be heard from the mountains.

Full of vitality, all things flourish.
Shen Changchuan was also in a great mood.

(End of this chapter)