Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

After completing his training, he stood up and stretched deeply. Then, he cast the Cloud and Rain spell, took a shower, channeling his magical energy to evaporate the water droplets from his body. He changed into clean clothes, tidied his appearance, and felt refreshed, more relaxed than ever. Perhaps due to his cultivation of immortal techniques, he looked only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. As he practiced his techniques, he felt a surge of spiritual energy, two or three times more powerful than before his Foundation Establishment stage. Now, if he encountered the Level 3 Horned Python from the Sunset Secret Realm again, he wouldn't even need to use talismans or other magical tools; he would be confident of slaying it. He opened his mouth and released a ball of flame, causing the temperature in the bedroom to rise sharply, but the flames had no effect on Liu Xing. This was the Three-Flavored True Fire cultivated by Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Three-Flavored True Fire could be used to refine elixirs and artifacts. From now on, he wouldn't have to search for a cryptic fire chamber to refine elixirs; he could use the Three-Flavored True Fire anytime, anywhere. Liu Xing sensed Jiao Jiao next door again, but she remained asleep, so he stopped paying attention.

He had finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage, becoming a senior to the younger Qi Refining cultivators. He had officially embarked on the arduous path to immortality. From this point on, there was no turning back; he could only forge ahead, striving with unwavering perseverance. Having already established his foundation, his next goal was to achieve Dan (Elixir Formation). Two hundred years of life was neither long nor short, and he needed to plan carefully, striving to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible. Just after a breakthrough, he had to race against time to advance to the next realm. Cultivating immortality was truly a torturous existence, requiring no relaxation for even a moment until immortality.

The next goal was clear: how to improve his cultivation. His inferior spiritual roots made his progress through arduous, closed-door cultivation as slow as a snail's pace. Liu Xing estimated that even after two hundred years of sleepless, closed-door cultivation, he would at best reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Ultimately, his lifespan would be exhausted and he would eventually turn into dust. Therefore, to rapidly improve his cultivation, he had to rely on the aid of elixirs. During his Qi Refining Stage, he had only achieved such rapid advancement by consuming large quantities of cultivation-boosting elixirs. Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, his previous elixirs were no longer effective, and he needed to find elixirs specifically suited to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"If only I could find an elixir that could improve my spiritual roots," Liu Xing fantasized. He'd read so many books, but never once had he encountered such an elixir or a successful case study. Perhaps my spiritual roots were predetermined and unchangeable, or perhaps my level of understanding wasn't high enough to allow me to access such a method of defying fate. Whatever the case, it wasn't something he could change in the short term, so he shook his head and stopped these unrealistic fantasies.

Elixirs that could elevate Foundation Establishment cultivators were undoubtedly available, but there were three ways to obtain them: one could refine them oneself, which required finding the recipe and raw materials; the second was to purchase them through various channels, which was inherently expensive and often in short supply, requiring a significant amount of money; and the third was to explore ancient cave dwellings and retrieve relics, which required a bit of luck. No matter how challenging, one must rise to the challenge. Liu Xing planned to pursue all three simultaneously, striving until he could no longer achieve his goal. With a clear goal in mind, his subsequent actions revolved around it, and he set a five-year plan.

First, he continued reading and interacting with people of his level. The knowledge available to him during the Foundation Establishment stage had become even higher, and he needed to study further to expand his knowledge base and broaden his understanding. Just like his previous study trips to the city during the Qi Condensation stage, browsing through bookstores was immensely rewarding, saving him many detours and dangers on his path to immortality. Haibin City was a vast city, with a large number of cultivators in the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages residing and cultivating there, so its collection of books was of a higher quality. He could access higher-level knowledge, deepen his understanding of the world, and improve his survival skills. Therefore, constantly learning and maintaining an open mindset were his top priorities wherever he went, forever believing in the truth that "knowledge is power."

Second, making money. Whether buying elixirs or raw materials, it requires a significant amount of capital, so he needs to earn money efficiently. If his cultivation talent is lacking, he can make up for it with money. During the Qi training stage, making money mainly relies on crafting talismans, but talismans are cheap, time-consuming, and the input-output ratio is low. He'll have to temporarily stop investing in this path in the later stages, waiting for more valuable talismans to emerge. He's currently considering making money through alchemy or artifact refining, fully leveraging his powerful spiritual awareness. Finished magical instruments and elixirs are far more expensive than the raw materials, so he originally planned to sell the raw materials in his storage bracelet for cash. Now, he's changed his mind and plans to refine the finished instruments or elixirs himself, potentially earning at least four or five times more. He's also considered building a business empire. While economics was quite advanced in his previous life, the social order here is completely different. Without strong financial resources and long-term management, it's simply impossible. He already lives a cautious life, so how could he afford such a pursuit?

Third, to buy medicine, he would try to attend as many of the city's trading buildings, open and hidden auctions, and barter fairs as possible to gather information and purchase medicinal herbs and elixirs through multiple channels. Therefore, he needed to gather information from various sources, such as where the items he needed were available and how much they would cost. Having more information would help him achieve his goals more efficiently. So, he planned to establish connections with the managers of these barter fairs and bribe them to obtain some information in advance.

Fourth, treasure hunting or monster hunting. Seize the opportunity whenever it's appropriate. The biggest risk of going out is leaving the city's protection. Be mindful of personal safety and be fully prepared. This will be prioritized last. Currently, I'm short on powerful magical tools and need more before I can participate. Treasure hunting requires clues and luck; it can't be forced. Monster hunting is something I can consider. Working together with Jiao Jiao, they're generally capable of easily taking down monsters below level three. Using the power of restrictions, they could also potentially take down level four monsters. As long as they don't venture too deep into the ocean, their safety is generally guaranteed. This monster hunting plan will be discussed later; for now, it's just a casual thought.

After figuring it all out, Liu Xing immediately took action. He let Jiao Jiao sleep in the cave while he went out on his own. The city was only so large, and within the city limits, they could sense each other. The cave was also equipped with powerful restrictions to conceal the demonic aura, so the outside world couldn't sense what was happening inside, making it relatively safe. The cave was empty, so there was nothing to pack up, so he just left.