Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

Green Mulberry Grove.

It is a mountain forest located in the northwest of Haifeng City, where mulberry trees grow wildly.

Besides mulberry trees as the main color, there are also many towering trees, as well as dense shrubs and vegetation, creating a lush and verdant landscape.

There were also many birds and beasts. At least Lu Zaian had only gone two or three miles when he encountered many roe deer, foxes, wild boars and other common animals.

The further you go, the more you are enveloped by this greenery, as if you have returned to a primeval jungle.

Even the most experienced hunters dare not venture deep into it.

Legend has it that monsters roam the depths of the Green Mulberry Forest, and no one who strays into its depths ever returns alive.

A cliff top somewhere.

From here, you can vaguely overlook the entire Sea Breeze City, the surrounding scattered fishing villages, and the continuous coastline.

Lu Zaian squinted and looked out, vaguely seeing wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of a village, peaceful and serene.

"Goodbye."

There lies the fishing village where I lived for fifty years.

But now that he has embarked on the path of immortality, the hardships of his mortal days have become memories that remain deep in his heart.

As the saying goes, there is a difference between immortals and mortals. After finishing his business with the slaughtering gang, Lu Zaian plunged into the dense mulberry forest, far away from human habitation.

……

half year later.

A waterfall five zhang high cascaded down, smashing against the huge rocks below with a loud cracking sound.

The water converged to form a stream that flowed downstream, and in a clearing in the nearby woods, a simple little wooden house had appeared out of nowhere.

Inside the wooden house, Lu Zaian sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed, activating the spirit-gathering effect of the Blood Spirit Orb in his hand.

All the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of about ten feet was drawn and gathered here.

After countless cycles of refining within the body, it finally transformed into a wisp of water-based magical power within the dantian.

"With the aid of the Blood Spirit Pearl's spirit-gathering effect, the cultivation of the second level of the Water Flow Technique has made remarkable progress in the past six months."

"At this rate, it might not take more than a few years to break through to the third level."

Lu Zaian exhaled a breath of stale air, slowly finished his practice, and a deep joy flashed in his eyes.

Since entering this mulberry forest and finding this clearing by the waterfall, Lu Zaian's cultivation journey has gradually gotten on track.

Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, this place is secluded and tranquil, rarely disturbed by others, making it an ideal retreat for cultivation.

As expected of a second-tier treasure in the cultivation world, the Blood Spirit Pearl's spirit-gathering effect far exceeded Lu Zaian's expectations.

Even in the mortal realm, it can gather spiritual energy concentration comparable to a low-grade first-order spiritual vein.

"Try that seal again."

Lu Zaian seemed to remember something, and gripped the Blood Spirit Pearl.

The magical power within his body surged forth, pouring into the Blood Spirit Pearl and transforming into an inexhaustible force that impacted the magical imprint in a certain space.

This is the storage space inside the Blood Spirit Pearl, bearing the mark of a Foundation Establishment expert, making Lu Zaian extremely envious.

After Lu Zaian's relentless efforts over the past six months, there has finally been a slight loosening of the grip.

However, it's only a tiny fraction; to truly break through, one must persevere.

Half an hour later, Lu Zaian's face turned pale, and he stopped, having exhausted nearly 70% of his magical power.

The remaining 30% should be preserved as much as possible, regardless of time or place, to guard against unforeseen circumstances.

Although he had been living in seclusion here for half a year without any accidents, Lu Zaian still maintained this caution.

That's all for today. Next, it's time to practice the Iron Armor Technique.

Following his daily cultivation routine, Lu Zaian went outside, removed his upper body clothing, revealing his dark, lean muscles.

Arriving at a tree trunk as thick as a water bucket, Lu Zaian twisted his neck and charged straight at it.

That's right, it's about directly crashing into it with your bare body.

At the same time, arms, elbows, thighs, and calves were constantly striking the tree trunk, making thumping sounds.

Ouch, that really hurts!

The training method of "Iron Armor Kung Fu" is very simple and brutal. It involves striking and hammering all parts of the body, tearing muscles, and then soaking the body in secret medicine to repair it.

This process is repeated, gradually strengthening the body.

However, Lu Zaian has now skipped the step of refining the secret medicine.

He discovered that the pure blood and qi energy transformed from the Blood Spirit Pearl was far more powerful than any of those so-called secret medicines.

No wonder Shen Tu Rong, a mere mortal, was able to cultivate a physical body comparable to refined iron, allowing him to withstand my magical attacks.

After six months of training, Lu Zaian gradually got used to this brutal pain.

boom! boom! boom!

Lu Zaian's speed continued to increase, and the blows crashed into the tree trunk, which was as thick as a water bucket, like a storm.

The tree trunk creaked under the strain, and Lu Zaian sensed a certain opportunity within the flesh and blood, letting out a soft shout.

"drink!"

He planted his feet firmly, used his waist to exert force, and with a powerful lean, slammed into the tree trunk!

Six months later, the tree trunk was finally broken by Lu Zaian's antics and snapped, falling backward with a crack!

"Phew... I didn't expect to have mastered the Ironclad Technique to the point of minor success. I need to hurry and absorb the power of Qi and blood!"

Lu Zaian rubbed his numb and swollen arm, pinched the Blood Spirit Pearl, and began to activate it.

A wisp of blood energy slowly emanated from the Blood Spirit Pearl, seeping into Lu Zaian's body through his palm.

The scorching heat spread throughout my body, baking my skin and flesh.

Lu Zaian felt as if he were in a furnace, his whole body constantly sweating.

The damaged areas began to slowly repair themselves and became stronger and more resilient.

At the same time, after Lu Zaian circulated his internal energy, he could feel a trace of metal on his skin.

If an ordinary sword were to slash at it, it would probably only leave a faint white mark.

Ordinary attacks no longer pose a threat to Lu Zaian.

This is the effect of achieving a minor level of mastery in "Iron Armor Technique".

The "Iron Armor Technique" has three levels: Minor Completion (Skin Refinement), Major Completion (Flesh Refinement), and Perfect Completion (Bone Refinement).

With the help of the Blood Spirit Pearl, Lu Zaian broke through to the Lesser Completion level within half a year.

However, while the flesh and skin were still greedily absorbing the power of blood and qi, it suddenly stopped.

"Tsk tsk, gone again."

Lu Zaian glanced at the somewhat dim Blood Spirit Pearl in his hand and clicked his tongue.

This Blood Spirit Pearl is good in every way, except that it converts too little blood energy, or rather, it consumes too quickly.

The amount of vital energy Lu Zaian consumed in just a quarter of an hour was extracted from the blood of ten wild beasts he had slaughtered.

After completing his body tempering, Lu Zaian plunged into the nearby stream.

With a splash, the icy water stimulated his skin and washed away the fatigue of cultivation, a rare treat for Lu Zaian every day.

"Comfortable."

Apart from the sound of the waterfall and the occasional chirping of insects and birds in the forest, the surrounding area was unusually quiet.

At first, Lu Zaian was unable to adapt to this tranquility and solitude.

But once you immerse yourself in cultivation, you feel that time has no length; half a year seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

Lu Zai'an found joy in the process of transforming from an ordinary mortal into a cultivator, experiencing the gradual progress of his cultivation every day.

Of course, all of this is inseparable from the Longevity Body; otherwise, Lu Zaian could not maintain such a relaxed state of mind.