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

Liu Xing calmly observed his surroundings: lush green mountains and clear waters, the rippling blue waters of the lake, countless aquatic plants and fish drifting leisurely along with the current. It seemed calm, without the slightest danger. Yet, he dared not be careless, slowly backing away from the lake's edge.

He couldn't figure out why he was captured here. People are always afraid of the unknown, and he was anxious. If the enemy was after money, he would have been killed long ago, not imprisoned for several months. If it was the Xuanyin Sect's revenge, he would have been tortured to death long ago, not allowed to jump around for so long. The enemy knocked him unconscious and imprisoned him for so long, so they must have had bad intentions. He racked his brains, thinking hard, listing all the experiences of his two lives and the cases in the books he had read. Captured, imprisoned for several months, thrown into a strange place, and set free. These keywords connected together to try to figure out the enemy's intentions.

"Does the enemy think they are not fat enough yet and want to fatten them up before slaughtering them?"

"But I'm already at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage. The next step is to build my foundation. If I want to grow fat, don't I have to give myself a foundation-building pill to help me build my foundation? This is obviously impossible."

Liu Xing felt that his only valuable possession was his cultivation, and the enemy likely had their eyes on his body. Exactly how they intended to manipulate him was unknown. His suspicions were actually starting to get closer to the truth. Since he couldn't figure out the whole story, he might as well just ignore it for now, live in the present moment, and wait and see. With his plan in mind, he focused on the present, taking things one step at a time.

His spiritual sense gradually explored the surroundings and unexpectedly discovered a patch of mature orchid grass growing by the lake. This grass is a common auxiliary ingredient in refining elixirs for Foundation Establishment cultivators to enhance their mana, and it has a wide range of uses. Orchid-shaped, about 40 centimeters tall, with seven slender leaves emitting a faint green glow and rich spiritual energy, it is obvious that it is not ordinary. It prefers to grow near lakes and rivers with abundant water, and generally matures in two hundred years. Of course, the older it is, the greater its medicinal value, and the higher the quality of the elixir it refines. Many immortal cultivation families and sects cultivate this herb in their medicine gardens, and it is a common ingredient in alchemy.

There was so much Lanling grass here, all three hundred years old, and it hadn't been picked yet. It was incredible. But he didn't let his surprise get the better of him, and he didn't rush in to collect the herbs. He knew from books on herbal medicine that mature spiritual herbs were often guarded by demonic beasts, so herb collectors must be cautious to avoid becoming prey. He observed silently, his spiritual sense probing again and again, hoping to find the demonic beasts in advance.

After repeated searches, he finally found a clue. He spotted something unusual in the muddy sand at the bottom of the lake beside the orchid grass. It was a dark mass, its entire form indistinct. From its aura, it suggested a Level 1 demonic beast, well within his capabilities. Having found his target, dealing with it would be easier. However, he remained cautious, repeatedly scanning the surroundings for any other humans or demonic beasts, fearing they might be playing a trick on him.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and he finally confirmed that everything was normal. He then quietly approached his target and pulled out a square, heavy, and extremely high-grade magical weapon, the "Vajra Brick," from his storage bag. Without warning, he unleashed the Vajra Brick and smashed it down hard on the dark figure at the bottom of the lake.

"Quack, quack!" There was a roar from the bottom of the lake, as if a sweet dream was disturbed, making an irritable and angry sound.

A pale yellow ice toad revealed its true form, and its long tongue popped out to resist the downward pressure of the diamond brick.

"It turns out to be an ice poison toad," Liu Xing muttered quietly, recalling the book's description of the monster. Beware the poison sacs on either side of its shoulders; they can spray poisonous arrows that corrode flesh and magical weapons. Its weak point lies in its jaws; you must find the right opportunity to strike it with a single strike.

As he pondered, the Ice Toad glared bloodshot at the intruder, unhesitatingly unleashing two poisonous arrows. Liu Xing had been prepared, constantly using his magic to conjure an ice shield to block the incoming venom. The shield melted instantly upon contact with the poison. Fortunately, the poison's power had been greatly reduced by the time it reached him, allowing him to easily dodge it. The remaining venom dripped onto the ground, creating a massive pit and emitting a foul stench. Seeing this, Liu Xing was filled with fear. It truly was even more terrifying than the descriptions in the books. While blocking the poisonous arrows, Liu Xing also used his Ice Cone technique to continuously attack the Ice Toad's protective shield, knocking it to and fro and allowing the Diamond Brick to move closer.

Seeing the poison arrow miss its target and the gold brick above its head about to fall, the ice toad grew increasingly agitated. Its abdomen bulged and swelled, emitting a rumbling "quack" sound, as if it were preparing some ultimate move, perhaps unleashing some secret technique. A moment later, with a sudden "boom," a visible stream of air erupted from its mouth, striking the diamond brick above it. The immense force of the impact instantly sent the gold brick flying. If the top-grade magical instruments weren't incredibly durable, any other high-grade magical instrument would have shattered instantly under this blow.

The attack was effective, and the Ice Toad let out a loud "quack" of excitement, leaping up, ready to press home the attack. Its abdomen expanded and bulged, sending another stream of air towards Liu Xing's body. Liu Xing had been prepared, having quietly summoned the Nine Emperor Bell while the Ice Toad was preparing its "Toad Skill" to block the attack. Seeing the Ice Toad leap into the air, exposing its jaw's weakness, he knew his opportunity had arrived.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for!" Liu Xing muttered to himself, and casually threw out more than a hundred ice cone talismans to attack the ice toad, drowning it. When the ice toad was busy dealing with it and couldn't take care of itself, the Bi Bo Sword, which was ready for battle, rushed out swiftly, pierced its jaw, and penetrated from the back of the head. The ice toad died instantly and fell to the ground.

The battle seemed slow, but it was actually swift, with the outcome decided in just a quarter of an hour. In fact, the final blow to the throat was also due to the Ice Toad's fatigue from continuously using Toad Skill, which had depleted its mana. Against such an unintelligent fool, Liu Xing's own mana was far greater, and even if their mana was equal, defeating it would be easy; it was only a matter of time.

Liu Xing glanced at the brush on the other side of the lake, then calmly gathered up his spoils. He took out a knife and stabbed it into the ice toad's abdomen, extracting a thumb-sized crystal. This was the ice toad's most valuable demon elixir, useful for refining weapons or elixirs. Next, he carefully removed the ice toad's two poison sacs and placed them in jade boxes. He then took out a jade bottle and filled it with the ice toad's blood essence. Finally, he cut off the ice toad's tongue and stored it. After removing these valuable parts, he kicked the ice poison toad's corpse into the lake.