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

Liu Xing returned to the cave, packed up his things, retrieved the restriction array plate, and then jumped onto Jiao Jiao's back.

"Jiao Jiao, show us your flying ability and fly towards the northeast coastline." Liu Xing ordered.

"As you command, Master." Jiao Jiao spread its massive three-meter-wide wings and, with a gentle flap, flew five hundred meters. Its speed surpassed his assault boat. Liu Xing estimated that even a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, using a top-grade flying sword at full power, wouldn't be as fast as Jiao Jiao.

The mission was a complete success. Liu Xing, in high spirits, stood on Jiao Jiao's back, his clothes flowing like a god. He took out his bamboo flute and began to play it leisurely. Jiao Jiao was mesmerized. The sound was so beautiful, it brought back the happiness of childhood, nestled in her mother's arms. Liu Xing himself hadn't realized that with his advancement in realm, his flute sound had undergone a qualitative change, and could already begin to influence others' moods. He currently lacked the cultivation method of sonic attack, which would have been his other trump card. His power now came completely naturally, an influence that formed unconsciously and automatically. Listening to the flute's music, Jiao Jiao's blood seemed to boil slightly.

Liu Xing was thinking about where to go next. Since the fourth-level demon pill was temporarily useless, the demon hunting plan naturally needed to be stopped. The next goal was to advance to the late stage of foundation building, so he needed new pills to support his cultivation. Based on his experience with the Soul-Yunning Pill, the possibility of purchasing a finished pill was very low, and even the main medicinal ingredients for alchemy were equally rare and difficult to purchase. In addition, due to his poor spiritual root qualifications, his demand for pills was dozens of times that of other cultivators. How could he get so many pills or main ingredients? There was only one way, which was to explore more secret realms and remote places. Only in these places could rare medicinal herbs be found, like the Sunset Secret Realm of the demon clan.

Secret realms are often filled with dangers and restrictions. Those who enter are doomed to die. Without strong life-saving measures and a bit of luck, most people never return, let alone find elixirs or opportunities. However, there's no other way. Cultivators defy fate, risking their lives amidst countless dangers. Liu Xing could already foresee that a peaceful life and steady cultivation would be impossible. He had to constantly take risks and seek opportunities.

Since he was constantly exploring hidden realms and forbidden places, he had to master several abilities. First, information. He needed sufficient sources to know the various hidden places scattered throughout the human world. Clearly, relying on his own rumours wouldn't reveal a single one in decades. He needed the help of an organization, so he had to choose a sect that would facilitate his access to information. Secondly, the ability to break forbidden spells. The art of forbidden spells is vast and profound, and masters are rare. Therefore, when exploring hidden realms and forbidden places, having a master of formations is crucial. Therefore, he had to find ways to improve his ability in setting formations and breaking forbidden spells. The books he had read in the local bookstores were too superficial, lacking in systematicity and depth. While his current abilities in the art of forbidden spells were significantly stronger than those of casual cultivators, they were still inferior to those of formation masters. He needed better opportunities and books to advance further. Finally, there's combat prowess, a comprehensive measure of strength. Soft skills encompass cognition, IQ, spiritual awareness, and magical power, and he's confident he's far ahead of his peers in these areas. Hard skills encompass magical instruments and helpers, and he's confident he's also far ahead of his peers in these areas. However, there's still a significant gap in his helpers. He has no sect to rely on, and his only spirit pet, Jiao Jiao, and five puppets. These are too weak for Liu Xing to fully utilize in combat. Therefore, he's considering expanding the quality of his helpers, and he needs to intensify research on puppets.

So, to sum up, he needed information about secret realms, the ability to improve his forbidden techniques, and methods for refining higher-level puppets. To learn these advanced core skills, he needed to find a large sect to join. He obtained information about the surrounding sects from Haibin City, and after eliminating them one by one, he found that only the Qianji Sect best met his needs.

The Qianji Sect lies deep within the continent, a hundred thousand miles from where he now is. Nestled within the Qianji Mountains, the sect has existed for over ten thousand years. Legend has it that its founder, Qianjizi, is a powerful being who has reached the stage of Divine Transformation and has already ascended to the Celestial Realm. Currently, the sect boasts a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, nearly ten in the Nascent Soul stage, nearly a hundred in the Core Formation stage, nearly a thousand in the Foundation Establishment stage, and tens of thousands of disciples engaged in weapon refinement, making it a formidable sect on the continent.

Qianjizi passed down three traditions: divination, prohibitions, and puppetry. These abilities require a certain level of talent and prerequisites to master, unlike alchemy and weapon forging, which can be achieved through repeated practice with large quantities of materials. Therefore, when recruiting disciples, the Qianji Sect prioritizes intelligence and talent. Natural aptitude and spiritual roots are, of course, fundamental requirements, directly determining cultivation talent. However, Tianji Sect disciples are incredibly popular. Whether seeking divinations to ward off disaster, exploring secrets to break prohibitions or set formations, or purchasing puppets, the constant flow of requests makes it no wonder that the sect has remained unbroken for so many years. Furthermore, like the Alchemy and Weapon Sects, the Qianji Sect is a neutral sect, catering to both righteous and evil forces. What makes these three sects so special is that, in addition to their regular cultivation to improve their magical powers, their disciples also need to devote time to studying alchemy, weapon refinement, and formation formations. This reduces their cultivation time significantly compared to others. However, once successful, each one is an elite master capable of taking on three enemies at once, their strength should not be underestimated. Disciples of these three sects have no restrictions on their primary cultivation techniques; they can practice techniques from both the righteous and demonic paths, with complete freedom.

Liu Xing had already decided to join the Tianji Sect. His soft power was definitely not a problem, but he was worried about whether his spiritual roots were too poor and would be disliked. However, he was already a cultivator in the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage, so whether the Qianji Sect would look upon him differently depended on chance.

Liu Xing has many secrets, so he has always wanted to be a free and independent cultivator, so that he can better protect his secrets. However, independent cultivators are weak and alone, and it is too difficult for him to advance, forcing him to go to the sect for further training. Relying on the sect's heritage, professional knowledge, and personal connections, he can improve himself in all aspects. It's just like going to college and studying for a master's degree in the previous life, all for the purpose of improving abilities and accumulating personal connections. The advantages are much greater than being a free cultivator. Liu Xing is not a pedantic person. Since it is beneficial to him, he should embrace it. As for his secrets, it is unlikely that his soul will be discovered through transmigration. The most important thing is to protect the bamboo flute. The bamboo flute can purify spiritual power and form strange spiritual power into strong wind to refine the soul. These two abilities are too powerful and must not be leaked. He should try to hide the fact that his magic power and spiritual power are far superior to those of ordinary people.